Care home residents only allowed three named visitors as Omicron cases rise

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Care home residents will now only be allowed three named people who can visit regularly – to try to protect them from the Omicron variant.

Those three named people will be allowed to visit the care home until the rules change to allow more and different visitors. An essential caregiver will also be allowed to visit with them.

The government said it is changing the rules for care home visits “to balance the current COVID-19 risk and the need to keep people safe in line with clinical advice”.

Staff testing will also be increased from two lateral flow tests per week to three, as well as a weekly PCR test.

Fully vaccinated residents who are leaving their care home for a visit will be asked to take a lateral flow test on alternate days for two weeks after a visit.

Those who are not fully vaccinated will be expected to isolate after visiting outside the home.

Previous rules on care home visits

The most recent care home visitor guidance meant there was no restriction to the number of visitors but they had to make arrangements before turning up and had to receive a negative lateral flow test on the day.

Residents only had to isolate if they had an emergency stay in hospital, tested positive for COVID-19 or if a visit was later deemed high-risk.

But the government has decided to tighten the rules as the Omicron variant has seen cases doubling every two to three days, with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) estimating there are now 10,000 cases that are more transmissible.