London
Care home residents in the United Kingdom will no longer need to self isolate for two weeks after coming back from any outside visit, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Saturday.
“We know how challenging this time has been for care home residents, so I am pleased that they can now leave their homes to reunite with their loved ones outdoors,” he said in a written statement.
The new rule comes after legal action has been launched by John’s Campaign, a campaign group which advocates for the right of people with dementia to be supported by their family carers anywhere they are.
“We’ll save the celebrations until we see the detail – and feel convinced that there is any legal right to behave in such a way.
Which there isn’t,” the campaign group said on Twitter after the news broke out on Saturday.
At the start of April, the UK government imposed strict COVID-19 restrictions on care home residents requiring anyone making visits outside of care homes to relatives or outdoor space’s to self isolate for 14 days upon their return.
The restrictions were faced with a lot of scrutiny from campaign groups.
Under the new rules starting on Tuesday, all care home residents will be able “to participate in more out-of-home visits without having to isolate on their return”, the government said in the statement.
“I know residents and their families have found the restrictions on trips out of care homes incredibly difficult.
This is one more step towards getting back to normal, while protecting care homes from the continued risk of COVID-19,” Minister for Care Helen Whately added.—AP
