Relatives allowed to visit elderly residents three times weekly from next Monday

Family members of elderly home residents will be allowed to visit their relatives three times a week as from next Monday.

Senior Citizens Minister Michael Farrugia said the visits will be limited to two persons from the same household, with the visit lasting for 25 minutes.

Farrugia said that since the second phase of lifting restrictions, government has seen encouraging results, stating measures will continue to be lifted cautiously in case of a surge in positive cases.

Relatives of dementia patients at elderly homes and St Vincent de Paul will continue to be allowed daily visits of 15 minutes. The two-person rule also applies in this situation.

Farrugia said that social distancing measures and face masks will continue being used.

The minister called on residents’ relatives to get vaccinated, stating that in the coming phases, people who took the jab will “return to normality before those who did not get the vaccine.”

He also said that on the 24 May, elderly day centres will be reopened. Four elderly individuals and two staff members will be allowed to attend at once.

Farrugia praised day centre workers for continuing to carry out online activities with elderly people during the pandemic.

He said in the coming weeks, cultural outings for elderly home residents, including SVPR residents, will be organised.

The residents will be able to go out while retaining the same bubble.