Ban on indoor care visitors
Indoor care home visits have been banned in Perth and Kinross as the fight continues to contain the 2 Sisters COVID-19 outbreak.
The news came on the eve of measures being relaxed for care home visiting across the country.
Families in other parts of Scotland will be able to visit relatives in care homes from today (August 24).
The number of positive coronavirus cases linked to the Coupar Angus factory was sitting at 110 as the PA went to press yesterday.
Of that number, 96 are factory workers while 14 are community contacts.
The figure is an increase of 20 from the day before.
Dr Emma Fletcher, associate director of public health for NHS Tayside, said:“Tayside remains in a heightened state of vigilance and the IMT (incident management team) today considered indoor visiting in care homes as part of its business, as this was due to be reintroduced at a number of care homes across the area from tomorrow.
“The NHS Tayside Health Protection Team and colleagues in the three Health and Social Care Partnerships in Angus, Dundee and Perth and
Kinross, together with other partner agencies, determined that the reintroduction of indoor visiting should not go ahead in Tayside at this time due to the ongoing situation at the factory and a number of other clusters and positive cases.
“We know that this will cause a level of anxiety and disappointment amongst care home residents and their loved ones, however, we must ensure that we do everything we can to protect care home residents, staff and their families as we continue to address the challenges that COVID-19 presents.
“We are keeping this matter under close review and will reinstate care home visiting across Tayside as soon as we are satisfied it is safe to do so.
“Our advice remains for everyone across the area to be extra vigilant in following the FACTS guidance, particularly the over 70s and those who were shielding or in high-risk groups.”
Indoor visiting for end-oflife care or to support a resident’s wellbeing at times of distress can continue, as long as all infection prevention and control measures are in place, including appropriate use of PPE. Outdoor visiting can also continue.