Visitation Rights for Residents in Nursing Homes After 1 June
Ministry of HealthSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns nursing home visitation rights and the resumption of senior-centric services post-circuit breaker, as raised by Miss Cheryl Chan Wei Ling. Senior Minister of State Dr Amy Khor Lean Suan explained that face-to-face nursing home visits remain suspended except for exceptional circumstances like critical illness to protect vulnerable residents. In Phase One, Senior Activity Centres will gradually resume limited individual activities, while nursing homes facilitate digital interactions through phone and video calls. She also noted that surveillance testing for residential care homes conducted in May will be extended to day-care centre staff throughout June. These policies aim to manage infection risks while gradually restoring essential eldercare services through phased resumptions and enhanced infection control.
Transcript
15 Miss Cheryl Chan Wei Ling asked the Minister for Health after the lifting of the circuit breaker on 1 June (a) what measures will remain for visitation of residents living in nursing homes; (b) whether swab tests will be conducted for seniors and staff in day care centres; and (c) which phase will senior activity centres be classified under for resumption of their operations.
Mr Deputy Speaker: Can Senior Minister of State answer within three minutes?
The Senior Minister of State for Health (Dr Amy Khor Lean Suan) (for the Minister for Health): Seniors are more vulnerable to COVID-19 infection as they develop more severe symptoms if infected. We have thus taken a more cautious approach to the resumption of senior-centric activities when the circuit breaker ended.
In Phase One, on-site activities that can be done individually, like craftwork, reading and gardening, will gradually resume at Senior Activity Centres, with restrictions on the activity duration and the total number of persons per session. Given that nursing home residents are generally more frail, face-to-face visits will continue to be suspended to keep the risk of infection low. Nursing homes will continue to facilitate interactions between seniors and their loved ones via phone and video calls. Nursing homes can also allow face-to-face visits in exceptional circumstances, such as when the patient is critically ill. We will progressively resume more activities across different settings when the situation improves.
We conduct surveillance testing for the eldercare sector, to complement existing precautionary measures such as safe distancing, visitor restrictions and infection control. We prioritised swab tests for staff and clients at residential care homes in May and in June, we will progressively test staff of other eldercare services in operation, including those working at day-care centres.
11.30 am
Mr Deputy Speaker: Order. End of Question time.
[Pursuant to Standing Order No 22(3), Written Answers to Question Nos 16-28 on the Order Paper are reproduced in the Appendix.]