Toronto reported the highest number of new COVID-19 cases on Monday. Government officials say that long-term care facilities are not ready to meet the demands of the second wave of coronavirus cases. In order to try to slow the tide down in these facilities, Toronto is implementing new laws about who will be able to visit nursing homes. Starting on October 5, 2020, only workers and those deemed as essential caregivers will be able to enter facilities.
Each resident can name up to two friends or relatives that will be allowed into the facility, even if there is an outbreak. These individuals would be trained in the proper use of personal protective equipment and allowed to come in even if the facility has active COVID-19 cases. If a resident is actively dying, then other family members would be allowed to enter the facility to be with their loved one.
In making the announcement, Premier Doug Ford said that he knew firsthand how hard it would be for others to be locked out of facilities, but that it was to protect the residents as nursing homes are often a hotbed for the spread of COVID-19. He says that essential caregivers play a crucial role in taking up the slack for the overworked staff at facilities.
Additionally, the government is implementing other changes to try to assist facilities during this time when a second wave seems to be occurring. Ford promised that every facility would have a two-month supply of personal protective equipment. The government also announced that it was dedicating $52 million to hiring nurses and other healthcare professionals to work in the homes. Additionally, Ford says that the government is looking at other measures to make working in these facilities more attractive as he admits that there is a severe staffing shortage.
In March, the government recommended that homes limit visits to actively dying patients, so families began visiting their loved ones at windows. Then, in mid-April, the government put a three-week ban on those visits. The government started allowing in essential caregivers on June 18 to facilities that were COVID-19 free. That decision permitted residents who were dying of isolation to have one visit per week. The government has indicated that they do not want to stop all visits at this time, but they ask that family members be cautious when coming to facilities so that the novel disease keeps away.
