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Families and friends of some care home residents will be able to resume visiting their loved ones months after they were stopped due to the coronavirus crisis.
Visits will resume in specific care homes once local directors of public health and local authorities decide it is safe to do so, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said on Wednesday.
Risk assessments will be undergone prior to homes being reopened, and visits that take place will involve face coverings and social distancing measures.
Health secretary Matt Hancock said: “I know how painful it has been for those in care homes not being able to receive visits from their loved ones throughout this period.
“We are now able to carefully and safely allow visits to care homes, which will be based on local knowledge and circumstances for each care home.
“It is really important that we don’t undo all of the hard work of care homes over the last few months while ensuring families and friends can be safely reunited, so we have put in place guidance that protects everyone.”
In new guidance published today, he government said visitors should be limited to a single constant visitor per resident where possible.
DHSC also said all visitors should be screened for symptoms of acute respiratory infection before entering a care home.
The government also urged that alternatives to in-person visiting, such as the use of telephones or video, should still be “actively explored”.