Visitation restrictions in long-term care homes set to lift on April 29

After months of isolation, some residents in long-term care homes will soon be able to see their family members in person, as the province will be easing the pandemic-related visitation restrictions this week. Beginning on April 29, long-term care and personal care homes will be allowed to welcome an unlimited number of family members or support personnel to visit fully vaccinated residents.

Visitors will be allowed only two people at a time, and only if at least 90 per cent of residents in the facility have been fully vaccinated for at least three weeks. Up to four visitors are allowed at a time if the visit takes place outdoors. Additionally, residents who have received both vaccination doses will no longer have to quarantine after returning from an outing outside the facility. "Our priority is the safety and well-being of residents and staff in our long-term care homes and personal care homes," said Mental Health and Addictions, Seniors and Rural and Remote Health Minister Everett Hindley. "This gradual, cautious approach will help keep residents safe, while allowing them much-needed contact with their loved ones." Visitors in care homes will still have to abide by overall public health guidelines when they are visiting, including wearing a face mask, adhering to physical distancing, practicing hand hygiene and complying with any testing or screening processes.

The province reported that all long-term care homes in the province had received first vaccine doses by early March, and nearly half had received both first and second doses.

Visitor restrictions in long-term care homes were one of the first orders implemented at the outbreak of COVID-19 in Saskatchewan, first enacted on March 14, 2020.

Public health officers with the Saskatchewan Health Authority will be monitoring facilities and will have the power to adjust these restrictions as needed in individual communities, based on the levels of transmission and number of active cases within a home.

The SHA will be notifying facilities under its management when restriction changes come into effect.

For more information on COVID-19 in Saskatchewan, visit saskatchewan.ca/ COVID19.