Health chief says ending social visits to care homes to stop Covid-19 spread

decision will cause distress, but the risk is too great
Dr Mike Gogarty: decision will cause distress, but the risk is too great Credit: ITV news

Visiting loved ones in Essex care homes should stop immediately - a health chief has warned.

Dr Mike Gogarty, the county's director of wellbeing, public health and communities, says he knows the decision "will cause distress" but said the risk of continuing with visits is "too great".

Social visits to care homes in Essex should stop in most circumstances to limit the spread of Covid-19, he says.

He gave the advice in a letter sent to care homes across the county.

He wrote: "I regret that I must recommend all care home social visiting stops throughout the Essex County Council area for all but very exceptional circumstances, such as the end of life.

He said that visits may resume, with Covid-19 secure measures in place, when more than 80% of care home residents have received "at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine at least two weeks before visiting recommences".

Alternatively, they may resume when he writes to care homes to inform them that visits can resume.

Only visits like this one - using a window or screen - to keep separated would be allowed Credit: ITV News

"The only type of social visiting that could continue is window visits where the visitor is outside on one side of closed window and the resident is on the other side," Dr Gogarty said.

"There should be no indoor visits. This restriction in visiting will cause distress.

"I have wanted to avoid it but now this current situation leads me to believe that the risk is too great. The tremendous work care homes have done to keep their residents safe and support their relatives is much appreciated.

"This restriction on visiting applies to social visiting only. It naturally does not apply to visits from professionals for essential care of residents.

"With the vaccination programme under way I hope and expect that these restrictions will not be in place for long.

"In the meantime, I must ask you for your forbearance."

A spokesperson for Essex County Council said: "This is sensible, preventative action which, although hard for the relatives of those in care homes, will help prevent the spread of the virus to residents and the staff caring for them.

"We are seeing more infections in care homes and, as with other parts of the health system, higher rates of staff sickness.