Care Home Visits In Scotland Resume Today After Families Waited For Months

Care Home Visits In Scotland Resume Today After Families Waited For Months.

Care home visits in Scotland resume today after families waited months during the pandemic. It comes as a result of the Covid-19 vaccine rollout in Scotland. Care home visits were scaled right back throughout the pandemic- the closest contact relatives were granted were just occasional outdoor visits.

Coronavirus deaths in care homes have fallen by over 60 per cent in the last three weeks, according to the latest data. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said those stats were the first real signs of the vaccine working. Almost all residents have now received the jab, along with 92 per cent of care home staff.

Scotland’s Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said while protection was in place, people must remain “vigilant about the risks”.

Scottish care homes were first advised to close to visitors at the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020. Until today, only essential indoor visits were permitted, with many people only able to see their loved ones through windows or outside, if at all.

The Scottish government said it was aware that restricted contact between residents and their families could contribute to loneliness, isolation and “worsening physical and mental health”.

As well as wearing PPE, visitors will be “strongly encouraged” to take a Covid test before entering homes. Visiting may still be restricted though in certain circumstances, for instance, if there is a Covid outbreak in a care home.

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