This Minister must belatedly put safety first over care home visits – The Yorkshire Post says

Yet, after the Government failed this exercise in humanity by not throwing a ‘protective ring’ around care homes at the start of the pandemic, it must not make similar mistakes over future arrangements for visitors.

The desire for rules to be relaxed so relatives can be reunited with loved ones after nearly a year of separation is understandable. And while there has, on occasion, been some latitude, the heartbreak and heartache has been inordinate.

Yet the latest comments by Helen Whately, the Care Minister, fail to command any confidence. Her contention, in another series of unconvincing broadcast interviews on her part, is that “more” normal visits could resume before residents or visitors have had their second Covid vaccine.

But, before this happens, it has to be demonstrated that it is safe to do so and that the necessary procedures are now in place to minimise the risk of the virus being spread inadvertently. As Mike Padgham, the Yorkshire care home boss and campaigner, said in his typically thoughtful response, this demands “clarity on what form this visiting can take” and, crucially, “whether it can include physical contact”.

This is not rocket science. It is common sense after care homes were effectively forgotten in the pandemic’s first phase. But why won’t the Care Minister accept that it is her job to put a practical policy in place for when the time is right to resume visits rather than simply hoping for the best, as she did last year with such tragic consequences?

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