THUNDER BAY - After being separated from family members for months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, people in Ontario will soon be permitted to see loved ones in long-term care homes under strict conditions.
“We can’t take this progress for granted,” said Premier Doug Ford during his daily media briefing on Thursday. “We can’t forget that these settings are vulnerable to COVID-19 outbreaks, so we must remain vigilant. We must move forward but we must do so carefully.”
Beginning on June 18, limited visitation in long-term care homes, retirement homes, and other congregate living settings will resume.
In long-term care settings, visitations will be permitted in an outdoor setting and will be limited to one person per resident each week.
Retirement homes will permit indoor and outdoor visits where physical distancing can be maintained.
Visitations will only be permitted in homes not experiencing an outbreak of COVID-19. All visitors must also be able to prove that they have tested negative for COVID-19 within the previous two weeks and additional screening will be done and all public health measures must be followed.
“In March we made the difficult decision to restrict visitation to long-term care homes,” said Minister of Long-term Care Merilee Fullerton. “I know how much it has affected our loved ones in long-term care and their families.”
"With the possible spread of COVID-19 in our long-term care homes still being a real threat, people will need to follow strict health and safety protocols in order to protect our most vulnerable."
Long-term care facilities in the province have been hit particularly hard by the COVID-19 pandemic.
There are still 65 long-term care facilities in the province experiencing an outbreak of COVID-19, with 235 facilities with outbreaks resolved. More than 1,700 long-term care residents have died from the virus.
“It hits home,” Ford said. “I see even when I visit outside the window, I talk to other families, we have to be super careful when we do this and put proper protocols in place. It has to be the home who calls the shots.”
Other residential settings such as homes serving people with developmental disabilities, shelters for survivors of gender-based violence, and children's residential settings, will also be permitted to allow outdoor visits of two people at a time.
The direction on visitations at long-term care home, retirement homes, and congregate living centres will be assessed on a daily basis, with the wellbeing of residents and staff at the forefront.
“Thanks to the hard work of our frontline workers and the collective efforts of everyone in stopping the spread, we can now allow families to reunite with their loved ones safely and in person with strict public health measures to protect residents, visitors and staff," Ford said.
"But I ask everyone to be cautious and act responsibly as the battle to contain COVID-19 is not over and the risk to our loved ones still remains."
