Care homes could reopen to visitors next week

The homes closed to visitors on 21 October as a precaution after an unexplained case of Covid-19 was found in the community. A number of cases connected with that index case were then found.

The decision to close to visitors was taken by care homes rather than Public Health.

Guernsey Care Managers Association chairwoman Sue Fleming said they had been monitoring the situation closely and checking the figures coming from Public Health.

‘Hopefully next week we will be looking to review the visiting,’ she said.

‘It may be restricted at first, but we will be reviewing it.

‘It is something we have been keeping under constant review.’

There are plans currently for a meeting on Tuesday. If the current numbers do not rise and the managers agree, care homes could reopen as soon as next Wednesday.

Ms Fleming, who works at St John’s in Saumarez Park, said everything was still going smoothly in the homes.

She said there had been lots of activities going on, such as bingo and making Halloween cakes.

‘Residents have been talking to friends and family on iPads, Facetime and the phone,’ she said.

Chateau des Tielles nursing and residential home manager Peter Adam said it was the right idea to take extra care while the situation was unknown.

‘It’s good to err on the side of caution,’ he said.

‘We’ve been keeping families up to speed and are hoping that on Wednesday, after 14 days of isolation, we can reopen again and see our residents reunite with their families and friends. Potentially we’re looking at staggering appointments at that point so we can still keep track of who is coming in for track and trace if needed.’

In the meantime, he added, the residents were keeping busy with Halloween activities and lots of decorations being put up for them to enjoy.

He said they had also been using video conference calls to keep up with their families, which had kept their spirits up while they wait for the green light on being able to see them again.