Updated Visitor Procedures for Long Term Care Homes
Early Wednesday (July 15th) evening, the Ministry of Long-Term Care released an updated visitor policy for long-term care homes across the province. The following are key highlights:
Change in requirements for outdoor visits
- Effective immediately, COVID-19 testing for outdoor visitors will no longer be required. Visitors will, however, still need to pass an active screening questionnaire administered by home staff.
- Visits must still be made, by appointment, through Reception
- Visitors are required to use a face covering if the visit is outdoors and are responsible for bringing their own face covering for outside visits.
- Outdoor visits will now be allowed for two people to visit a resident at the same time.
Opening of indoor visits and requirements
- As of Wednesday, July 22nd, indoor visits to long-term care homes will be permitted
- At Fairhaven, this will only take place in our Great Room with no exceptions allowed. Tables, much like outside in our tent, will be provided at which visits will take place
- OUR MAIN PRIORITY IS THE SAFETY OF OUR RESIDENTS AND STAFF. NO EXCEPTIONS WILL BE MADE FOR VISITING IN RESIDENT HOME AREAS.
- For indoor visits, visitors MUST VERBALLY ATTEST THAT THEY HAVE TESTED NEGATIVE FOR COVID-19 within the previous two weeks and have not subsequently tested positive.
- The province has made a point of ensuring that visitors must be informed that Homes are not responsible for providing the testing
- Indoor visits will also allow for two people to visit a resident at the same time.
- When calling to schedule a time to visit your loved one people will indicate whether they prefer an indoor or an outdoor visit. Again, indoor visits will continue to require COVID testing for those attending Fairhaven property.
- Homes retain the task of scheduling visits and must do so in a manner that prevents overcrowding
- If our Home experiences an outbreak of any kind (COVID or otherwise), indoor visits will be suspended until the end of the outbreak
Please consider all Fairhaven COVID-19 Employee Bulletins to be official notifications of consultation with the Fairhaven Joint Occupational Health and Safety Committee.
Lionel Towns, CPA, CMA
Executive Director
Comments are closed