Photo courtesy Canadian Press

By CKPG Today

COVID-19

Province to ease restrictions on long-term care visitation

Mar 25, 2021 | 1:35 PM

VICTORIA — Changes are coming to long-term care visitation in British Columbia.

Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says effective April 1, people in long-term care and their loved ones will have more ways to safely spend time together.

Starting April 1, all residents in long-term care and assisted living will be able to have frequent, routine opportunities for social visitation. Eased restrictions include:

• removing the requirement for a single designated social visitor to allow for additional family and friends to visit long-term care and assisted living residents;
• expanding the number of visitors so up to two visitors, plus a child, will be allowed to visit at a time, allowing people to connect in small groups;
• changing the allowable location of visits so family and friends can visit in residents’ rooms without staff present; and
• allowing physical touch between visitors and residents, provided appropriate infection prevention and control measures, like masks and hand hygiene, are in place.

Henry says social visitation will continue to be suspended during outbreaks and will continue to require advanced booking, visitor health screening, use of medical masks and frequent hand hygiene.

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Also today, Henry said the province will be bringing in a variance for indoor religious gatherings sometime between March 28 and May 13.

She warned however that if conditions require it, the province will step in.