Tighter restrictions on long-term care home visits

The Ontario government on Tuesday, Dec. 28, announced tighter restrictions on visits to long-term care homes in response to the contagion risk posed by the Omicron variant of COVID-19.

The new rules, taking effect Thursday, Dec. 20, will “pause” general visits to long-term care homes, though “designated caregivers” can continue to enter homes. The changes will also ban for now day trips by residents for social purposes.

Long-Term Care Minister Rod Phillips said in a statement, “We know that long-term care residents face an increased risk of COVID-19. Given the high community infection rates we’re seeing with the Omicron variant, the time for more action is now.

“In addition to the steps we’ve already taken, these new temporary measures will help keep residents safe and help critical staff remain on the job.”

The government had already required general visitors to long-term care homes to be fully-vaccinated, and that all staff caring for a resident with a confirmed or suspected case of COVID-19 to wear a “fit-tested, seal-checked N95 respirator.”

The Tuesday statement said that the latest measures were in response to how highly contagious the Omicron variant was. Staff were at increased risk of being exposed to or contracting COVID-19 through community transmission, which could in turn lead to more outbreaks in long-term care homes.