Care homes to allow two visitors from 12 April

Care home residents in England will be able to receive two visitors indoors from Monday 12 April as Covid restrictions continue to be cautiously eased.

Visitors will be asked to provide a negative test result and wear PPE during the visit to keep themselves, staff and residents safe. As testing capacity continues to increase, some visitors will be able to conduct tests at home, rather than at care homes, to help manage the flow of visitors and allow more visits to take place.

Visitors who are parents will also be able to visit with babies and very young children, who will not count as one of the visitors.

The drop in community infection rates, and the successful rollout of vaccinations in care homes, means the increase in visiting planned in the roadmap can go ahead as long as infection prevention and control measures remain in place.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “Reuniting family and friends has been a priority each time restrictions have eased, and the next step will be no different. I’m particularly pleased to allow residents to have more visitors, including grandchildren, given the isolation and concern felt by so many this past year. Thanks to the tireless work of care home staff, and the success of the vaccine rollout, we’re able to increase the number of visits in a safe and controlled way.”