Perspex barriers to come down in elderly homes but hugs and kisses will remain off limits

Senior Citizens Minister Michael Farrugia gives details on measures that will be lifted from Monday in old people’s homes

Perspex barriers in old people's homes will be pulled down for in-person visits but touching will not be allowed for the time being
Perspex barriers in old people's homes will be pulled down for in-person visits but touching will not be allowed for the time being

Perspex barriers in visiting rooms at old people’s homes will come down on Monday but touching will not be allowed as COVID-19 mitigation measures start being lifted.

Senior Citizens Minister Michael Farrugia on Friday gave details on how restrictions to prevent the spread of the coronavirus will be lifted in elderly homes.

He said that homes where 90% of residents received their second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine with a 15-day lapse from the last vaccination, will from Monday allow in-person visits to resume without the use of a Perspex barrier. The visits will be restricted to two people from the same household.

Visitors must wear a mask and maintain a 2m distance from the resident throughout the visit. Visits must be booked by appointment and will last for 25 minutes to allow the meeting place to be sanitised.

Farrugia said that family members from different households will not be allowed to visit the resident at the same time and must make separate arrangements.

Of the 39 old people’s homes, 36 have reached the 90% target, with one of the remaining three having reached 90% and is waiting for the 15-day window to lapse.

At St Vincent de Paul, the government-owned facility that houses hundreds of residents, family members from different households would continue to be able to visit relatives from behind a Perspex barrier. 

At SVPR, 97% of the resident population has been fully vaccinated.

Farrugia said elderly people living in homes will now be afforded some new freedoms, including free movement around the home and in gardens, use of common areas, the resumption of meals in the dining halls and the possibility for religious and leisure activities with staff to resume. He said infection control and social distancing measures will remain in place.

He explained that the number of contingency beds homes are obliged to keep reserved for quarantine purposes has also been reduced to 2% from 5%. 

If an elderly resident results positive during this time, they will be temporarily sent to another facility and be allowed to return once they test negative for the virus. 

Farrugia said the lifting of restrictions had to be done cautiously, which is why hugs and kisses will not be allowed for the time being.

“This is the first phase in a number of protocols which will be assessed in the coming weeks. Based on the impact we see from these decisions more measures will be relaxed and we can eventually return to the situation as it was pre-pandemic,” he said.