VISITS to homes for the elderly should be stopped.
This is the pronouncement made by Minister of Health Terrence Deyalsingh who said guidelines will be published by his ministry next week.
Deyalsingh was speaking at the virtual news conference to update the population in the fight against the Covid-19 global pandemic.
He said the elderly was one of the most vulnerable sections of the population and that there were 3,000 to 6,000 of them in registered and unregistered homes throughout the country.
Deyalsingh said if relatives or friends wanted to drop off a favourite snack, food or any item they should not be allowed to enter the home.
He outlined some of the guidelines:
- Stop visits by friends and relatives
- Cleanliness and sanitation should be crucial
- Caregivers should wear masks
- Caregivers should use disposable gloves to be disposed after each patient
- Rudimentary medical checks on employees (don’t let them enter if they have a fever or cough)
- Space out of the elderly
- If possible relatives and friends should take out elderly from these home and take them home to help stop the spread of the coronavirus
- Owners should keep a clinical logo of their long-stay patients
Deyalsingh said these homes were under the County Medical Officer of Health and the ministry has put out infection-prevention control guidelines.
