Nursing homes to begin allowing visitors, with conditions,

ROB FERGUSON

Ontario is allowing visitors back into nursing homes, retirement homes, group homes and shelters in time for Father’s Day — but with strict conditions.

The move follows pressure from families concerned about loved ones in care, particularly nursing homes where there have been more than 300 outbreaks of COVID-19 with dire conditions in dozens of facilities and almost 1,800 deaths.

Visitors must have tested negative for the virus in the previous two weeks, wear face masks, maintain physical distancing, clean their hands upon arrival and departure, and pass a screening questionnaire as part of efforts to prevent spreading infections.

The visits can begin next Thursday, but only in homes without outbreaks of COVID-19.

Premier Doug Ford called it a “cautious restart” and acknowledged the strain on families and vulnerable residents isolated from each other since March.

The requirement for a negative test and continued ban on homes with outbreaks is “ridiculous,” said caregiver advocate Vivian Stamatopoulos. “This was a slap in the face,” she wrote on Twitter.

Family activists have warned that the visitor ban allowed deplorable conditions to fester, putting lives at risk — including 82-year-old Pietro Bruccoleri at Woodbridge Vista Care Community in Vaughan, who died May 29 of exhaustion from malnutrition.

“They worry that without family visits, their loved one won’t get enough food, fluids or personal care,” said NDP Leader Andrea Horwath.

Resuming visits will require “iron clad” testing and contact tracing, added Green Leader Mike Schreiner.

“The Ford government will need to do a better job of keeping COVID-19 out of long-termcare homes by improving minimum standards of care, the number of registered nurses, and access to PPE (personal protective equipment).”