Gov. Chris Sununu signed into law Friday legislation aimed at ensuring no hospital patient is left alone.The law, inspired by the COVID-19 pandemic, allows a patient to identify a loved one or caregiver as a visitor who can be present while they receive care.During the pandemic, particularly before vaccines were available, hospitals severely curtailed visiting rights, and lawmakers said many patients who didn't have COVID-19 suffered while alone."We heard so many stories, especially through the pandemic, where folks couldn't go to the emergency room, couldn't visit a loved one in a long-term care facility," Sununu said. "Now, we're taking care of that. We're saying the patients have rights, have rights to advocacy, have rights to visitors because it's such an important part of their healing process."The law provides exceptions for hospitals to restrict access if visitors might interfere with patient care.