New Visitation Guidelines for LTC and AL: what you need to know

On Monday, July 19th long-term care and assisted living homes had new guidelines begin for visitors, volunteers and contracted workers entering these establishments. As a precaution before the new guidelines took effect, BCCPA/EngAge BC CEO issued a statement asking the public to bring patience and compassion as operators transition to accommodate more people entering the care homes. There was a significant interest by media, and the news coverage is linked below. For the benefit of operators and those who are visiting the care homes, here are the clear guidelines now in place.

Updated LTC/AL Visitor Guidance

The Ministry of Health has announced a further easing of visitor restrictions for individuals residing in long-term care and assisted living settings. You can read more on the Province of BC website, news.gov.bc.ca.

Effective July 19, 2021, visitors to long-term care residents and assisted living tenants:

Can have social visits without advance booking during the daily designated social visiting hours at the site;
Don’t have to be limited in number;
May join their resident at outdoor events/gatherings at the site;
Can physically touch (e.g., hugs and hand-holding) with appropriate infection prevention and control measures in place (e.g., hand hygiene).

As a protective measure to reduce the risk for introduction and spread of COVID-19, it is strongly recommended that visitors are fully immunized against COVID-19. Visitors will be asked to provide proof of vaccination prior to entering the site. If visitors don’t have their COVID-19 Vaccine Record card, they can access their immunization records by registering for a Health Gateway account at healthgateway.gov.bc.ca. Visitors will also be screened for signs and symptoms of illness, including COVID-19, and asked to sign-in for contact tracing purposes, prior to entry at every visit.

While onsite, visitors need to adhere to all infection prevention control measures, including hand hygiene, physical distancing and use of medical masks;

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Fully immunized visitors (i.e., two doses with the second dose received a minimum of 14 days prior) are required to wear a medical mask while moving in and through common areas of the facility, but are not required to wear a mask while in direct contact with the person they are visiting;
Visitors who cannot demonstrate that they are fully immunized are required to wear a medical mask for the duration of their visit;

In addition, volunteers who are not existing registered volunteers providing essential visit support may now resume their activities in long-term care and assisted living settings, if they are:

fully immunized against COVID-19 and provide proof of vaccination;
familiar with the responsibilities and expectations regarding outbreak prevention, detection, and management in the facility.

In the event of a COVID-19 outbreak at a facility, only essential volunteers and essential visits will be allowed onsite.

As we move through the next phase of our pandemic in B.C., we will continue to keep you informed.

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