Aged-care sector on board with coronavirus restrictions

The aged-care sector has applauded the ‘two visitors at one time, per day’ rule to help protect the elderly from the coronavirus

Aged Care Minister Richard Colbeck. Picture: Kym Smith

The aged-care sector has applauded the new “two visitors at one time, per day” rule to help protect the elderly from the coronavirus as Scott Morrison conceded it would be a difficult restriction for some families.

The states and federal government on Wednesday urged aged-care facilities to ensure visits were short, held inside a resident’s room, outside or in a designated area, with a maximum of two visitors at once each day.

Visitors who have returned from overseas in the past fortnight, have been in contact with someone who has coronavirus in the past two weeks, have a fever or acute respiratory infection and who after May 1 have not been vaccinated against influenza should be banned from entering facilities. Children under the age of 16 should not visit aged-care residents unless there are special circumstances.

“In cases of end of life, I know people will want to see their elderly parents or relatives or others. I totally understand that,” the Prime Minister said.

“Aged-care facilities will have the discretion to put in very strict arrangements to enable people to visit their loved ones if that’s the situation that resident finds themselves in. Those rules will have to be done on a facility-by-facility basis and, obviously, it needs to conform with the general principles around social distancing.”

Aged Care Minister Richard Colbeck said because the risk of serious illness and death increased with age, and there was no vaccine against coronavirus, the “single most important step we can take” was preventing exposure. “If you don’t absolutely have to go to support a resident in care, please don’t,” he said.

Aged and Community Ser­vices Australia chief executive Pat­ricia Sparrow said the guidelines balanced the need for prevention with ensuring residents received emotional, mental and spiritual care. “We are going to need families and visitors to be understanding of the restrictions. We’ve been asking for weeks for people to be careful to come in. It’s not something we’re doing lightly but it’s necessary now to protect our loved ones,” she said.

Leading Age Services Australia chief Sean Rooney said the measures were “critical to saving lives”.