Coronavirus: aged-care homes ordered to lift bans on visitors

Scott Morrison has told nursing homes to allow visitors to see their loved ones ­unless there is a serious medical reason.

On March 18 Scott Morrison imposed a series of aged-care visitor recommendations, however some facilities cancelled visits entirely. Picture: AAP

Scott Morrison has issued a stern warning to nursing homes to allow visitors to see their loved ones ­unless there is a serious medical reason for a lockdown.

If aged-care facilities continued to shut visitors out, as many around the nation are, the Prime Minister threatened to impose new regulations banning closures and requiring homes to apply for an exemption. “Having people stuck in their rooms, not being able to be visited by their loved ones, carers and other support people — that is not OK,” Mr Morrison said after the national cabinet met on Friday.

“We would very much like to keep things on a basis where aged-care facilities are exercising their proper discretion, but we are not going to have these as secret places where people cannot access them.

“We want to make sure that these facilities are open to their loved ones to go and visit … unless there is a very real and serious medical reason why that would not be necessary.”

On March 18, Mr Morrison imposed a series of recommendations, including that visits by family members or close friends to residents be kept short, and limited to a maximum of two people at one time per day.

But several facilities, backed by provider advocacy groups, have gone further, stopping visits ­entirely.

They argue this is the safest arrangement for physically vulnerable residents, has the support of most residents and families, and is flexible where needed if someone needs a different ­arrangement.

They also argue the March 18 recommendations are less stringent than those for Australians aged over 70 living in the community, who have been told to stay in their homes for all but essential activity.

But Mr Morrison didn’t agree, and issued a warning.

“It’s very ­important for the health of the residents that they maintain contact with their loved ones and other support people,” he said.

“Should we not see an improvement in this area under the voluntary arrangements that we currently have in place then the commonwealth would be moving to require aged-care ­facilities that wish to have an exemption to … those national ­arrangements.”

A coalition of the bodies representing providers made it clear they were not willing to back down, saying the sector should be “commended not admonished” for its efforts to keep residents safe.

“The hundreds of thousands of dedicated men and women who work in our aged-care sector have done a remarkable job of protecting staff and residents through this pandemic,” the group, including Aged and Community Services Australia, Catholic Health, Anglicare and Leading Age Services Australia, said.

“They have been acutely aware of the need to strike a balance ­between protecting against the threat of COVID-19 and maintaining contact with family and friends. It has not always been easy, but they have acted with good judgment and compassion.

“To date, we have avoided the situation in America and Europe where, according to the WHO, as many as half of all coronavirus deaths are residents of aged-care facilities, and for that we should be commended, not admonished.”

Mr Morrison agreed there were valid reasons for a total lockdown, including outbreaks in aged-care facilities such as Anglicare’s Newmarch House in Sydney, where four residents have died and 44 residents and staff infected.