MARSHALL — A Marshall care center is restricting visitors to help protect residents from the spread of influenza. Avera Morningside Heights Care Center announced Monday that it will be temporarily closed to visitors.

“We’re restricting visitors at this time to safeguard the health of our residents,” said Dr. Maria Hoertz, medical director of Avera Morningside Heights. “Most of us stay home when we are sick and limit our contact with others. For our residents, the best way we can do that is by asking people not to visit them here in their home.”

The Minnesota Department of Health is reporting influenza at “widespread” levels in the state. More than 2,000 people in Minnesota have been hospitalized with flu so far this season, with 94 hospitalizations reported in southwest Minnesota.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently said this year’s influenza outbreak in the U.S. is the most widespread in decades.

In its announcement, Avera Morningside Heights urged members of the public to be vigilant for symptoms of the flu, and take steps to keep themselves and others healthy. Influenza symptoms include a high fever, coughing and full body aches.

To help fight the spread of influenza, members of the public are urged to practice proper hand hygiene, cover coughs, avoid places where there may be many sick people, and stay home when they are sick.

Schools and long-term care facilities are required to report outbreaks of influenza-like illness to the state Department of Health. As of the week of Feb. 22, Lyon, Lincoln, Murray and Yellow Medicine counties had no reported outbreaks of influenza-like illness in long-term care facilities. There was one reported outbreak in a care facility in Redwood County so far this flu season.