Ontario’s chief medical officer of health is urging all long-term care homes in the province to allow only essential visitors until further notice.
Ontario’s chief medical officer of health is urging all long-term care homes in the province to allow only essential visitors into their facilities until further notice to protect residents from COVID-19.
Dr. David Williams issued a memo on Friday to long-term care homes, retirement homes, supportive housing and hospices.
“In order to ensure a safe and secure environment for residents, we strongly recommend that these settings only allow essential visitors until further notice,” Williams said in the memo.
Essential visitors are defined by the Ontario health ministry as people who are visiting a resident who is dying or very ill, or a parent or guardian of an ill child or young person in a residential treatment setting.
According to the memo, the recommendation comes as the province is trying to maintain the safety of its most vulnerable residents.
Williams said all visitors must continue to be “actively screened” to enter long-term care homes.
“Those who fail screening will not be permitted to enter. No other visitors should be permitted to enter these premises. Instead they should be asked to keep in touch with loved ones by phone or other technologies, as available,” Williams said.
The Ontario healt