‘Inhumane’ to impose another blanket closure of care homes

Instead, Julieann McNally from CHASNI (Care Home Advice and Support NI) said it is essential that care homes put in place proper infection control measures to protect residents as Covid-19 cases spiral upwards once again.

And she has urged families of care home residents to ensure they have signed up to the care partner scheme so they will still be allowed to visit loved ones in the event that a home does close to visitors.

“The lockdowns have been catastrophic for residents and their families and I have no doubt that there are people out there who wouldn’t survive another lockdown,” said Julieann.

“We know people have to come to harm over the last 18 months because of the isolation and distress as a result of being cut off from their families.

“It has been particularly upsetting for people with dementia, families saw a huge deterioration in their loved ones’ conditions once they were finally allowed to visit again.

“There were people who went from residential homes to nursing homes.

“We know there were residents who died and their families are convinced that was as a direct result of the homes closing to visitors.

“The families that we work with are very clear on this, they will not allow homes to close down again and there is no need for that to happen.

“This virus isn’t going away, we need to learn to live with it, so it’s essential that homes make sure they put in place all the infection control measures while keeping their doors open to visitors.

“We’re not naïve, the families aren’t naïve, they know that measures have to be in place and they are happy to work around that but they won’t accept a blanket lockdown again.” The comments came as the Department of Health announced another 528 positive cases in Northern Ireland on Monday afternoon.

No deaths had been reported in the previous 24 hours.

The Department of Health’s Covid-19 dashboard is not updated over the weekend or on public holidays, but on Friday, there were nine care home outbreaks, of which six were symptomatic.

This was up from five, of which four were symptomatic outbreaks, at the start of last week. Julieann continued: “There is just no way that families will allow care homes to be locked up again, it is inhumane.

“As the case numbers rise, we are also worried that the plan to move out of restrictions will stall.

“We know of families who are thinking of removing their loved ones from care homes and bringing them home because they’re so worried there will be another lockdown.

“It is also likely that families are struggling to care for a loved one but are making the decision not to send them to a care home, terrified that it will be shut to visitors.

“That’s why the care partner scheme is so important and why we are urging everyone to make sure they are signed up so that they can still visit their family members.”

Last November, families staged a candlelit vigil outside Belfast City Hall in a desperate bid to be reunited with loved ones living in care homes.

Cathy Austin described her horror as she had not been able to touch or hug her mum, Kathleen Hill (79), since the beginning of the first lockdown in March.

She also revealed that her mother had been so traumatised by the separation from her family that she had slept in a chair every night for the past eight months.

When she and her sister were finally allowed to visit their mum, they were distraught at the decline in her physical health, describing her as a “zombie” who was unable to hold her head up as she had slept in a chair for so long. She said: “Mum has dementia and she went into the home for respite on the same day that my daddy died from cancer.

“They had been married for 56 years… she had never slept in bed on her own, she was the youngest of eight children and then she married, so it was very distressing for her.”

Meanwhile, Northern Ireland had vaccinated 1,185,689 people with one dose by noon yesterday, while 942,014 people have now had received two doses.

While the majority of people aged over 60 have had two doses, only 54.8% and 67.7% of people aged 18-29 and 30-39 respectively have had one dose.

However, only 19% of people aged between 18 and 29 have had two doses.

This rises to 37.7% in the 30 to 39-year-old cohort.

Health bosses are aiming to vaccinate 90% of the eligible population by the end of this month.

They have said the number of people hospitalised with Covid-19 during the latest wave will be halved if the target is met.