Care homes are taking extra care to avoid Covid

There are currently about 1,333 people confirmed to have Covid.

However, the rise has slowed, with 888 new cases over the last week, compared with 948 the week before.

Hospital admissions are on the rise. There were 10 people in hospital with a Covid diagnosis last week. That rose to 16 this week.

While nearly all older islanders are vaccinated and boosted, care homes have been putting restrictions in place to protect their residents.

But they have varied by establishment.

Guernsey Care Managers Association president Cathy Bailey said in order to prevent outbreaks, some of the homes have closed to visitors or have implemented restrictions.

‘If there is an outbreak of Covid then the homes will close while residents are affected and residents may need to stay in their rooms for a short period,’ she said.

‘If [there is] no outbreak, visitors will be asked to wear masks and do LFTs, otherwise residents may come and go. But I must stress it is up to the individual home to decide what is best for their residents, based on guidelines issued by HSC which the homes follow.

‘PPE is being worn by care staff, but the extent of this depends on whether a home has an outbreak. Visitors are asked to do an LFT prior to visiting and not to visit if unwell.’

She said that they try to minimise closing as much as possible.

‘If a home has to close it has an impact on our residents as they are unable to see their families and friends for a short while. We try to minimise this as much as possible.’