Limits on the number of visitors a care home resident in England may receive will be scrapped from 19 July under the government’s so-called Step Four easing of Covid restrictions.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson told a Downing Street press conference that the limit on named visitors will be lifted subject to a final decision on 12 July.
Under current rules, care home residents in England can receive up to five named relatives and friends – with a maximum of two visitors at any one time or day.
A document published by the Cabinet Office stated the government will issue specific guidance to advise how visits should be conducted to keep care homes safe whilst also making visits as normal as possible.
The document also states care homes will need to retain infection prevention and control measures essential to protecting residents from the risk of infection.
The Cabinet Office confirmed the government is committed to protecting the most vulnerable by making Covid-19 vaccination a condition of deployment for staff and others working in care homes.
The government is also launching a consultation shortly on whether this condition should be extended to healthcare and further social care settings such as in domiciliary care
