Sanford Health is limiting visitors after the CDC declared the flu outbreak an epidemic.
Due to the increase in flu cases, Sanford is asking anyone experiencing fever, cough, sore throat or other flu symptoms to not visit other patients.
Medical officials say the flu can be passed on by just touching something an infected person has touched.
This is the first time in several years that Sanford has had to announce these guidelines.
"When it starts to get introduced into a community it can spread pretty quickly. We have a very vulnerable population.
People here are extremes of age, they have chronic diseases, so we're trying to protect our patients," explains Joan Cook, Sanford's Infection Prevention Manager.
Those experiencing flu-like symptoms should still see a doctor but are advised not to visit other patients.
Officials say they're not sure how long these guidelines will last because the flu is predictably unpredictable. Altru also has restrictions.