Visitor Quota for Nursing Home Residents Amidst COVID-19 Pandemic
Ministry of HealthSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns the visitor quota for nursing home residents to support their well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ms Joan Pereira asked if the designated visitor limit could be raised from two to five while keeping the one-visitor-per-day rule. Minister for Health Gan Kim Yong stated that following initial suspensions to protect vulnerable seniors, the cap was increased to four designated visitors per resident effective 31 July 2020. He explained that nursing homes have the discretion to allow more visitors for exceptional circumstances like compassionate reasons while maintaining safe management measures. Minister for Health Gan Kim Yong emphasized that visitation guidelines will be continually reviewed based on the evolving infection situation to safeguard seniors.
Transcript
89 Ms Joan Pereira asked the Minister for Health for the mental and social well-being of our seniors in nursing homes, whether up to five designated visitors for each nursing home resident can be allowed, instead of two currently, though the current arrangement of only one visitor can visit each day can remain for the safety of our seniors.
Mr Gan Kim Yong: Seniors residing in nursing homes are typically frail and more vulnerable to complications of COVID-19 infection. To safeguard their health, the Ministry of Health (MOH) has implemented a suite of precautionary measures in nursing homes from the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, including the suspension of face-to-face visitations on 2 April 2020.
The limitations on face-to-face visitations has been important in keeping the risk of infections in nursing homes low. However, recognizing that prolonged suspension of visitations will have an adverse impact on the well-being of seniors and their loved ones, MOH has allowed nursing homes to cautiously resume face-to-face visitations in Phase Two from 19 June 2020. Visits were subject to strict safe management measures, including capping the number of designated visitors at two, allowing only one designated visitor at any one time, as well as limiting the duration of the visit.
From 31 July 2020, nursing homes were allowed to make further adjustments to the visitation guidelines, in view that community numbers were low and stable. One of the adjustments was to allow four designated visitors per resident, up from two previously, while maintaining the limit of one designated visitor at any one time. Nursing homes also have the discretion to allow a resident to have more than four designated visitors for exceptional circumstances, such as compassionate reasons, or to allow more members of large families the opportunity to spend time with a loved one.
We will continue to monitor the well-being of our seniors in nursing homes and review the restrictions on visitations as the COVID-19 situation evolves.