Covid: Care home rules ease as Wales moves to alert zero

Covid restrictions on visits to care homes in Wales have been eased, the government has announced.

Visitors will no longer have to wear masks in loved ones' private rooms in homes.

The level of testing before and after visits is also being relaxed as the country continues to move into alert level zero.

The industry has welcomed the decision but said some care homes could keep rules in place amid insurance concerns.

Wales has passed its latest peak of Covid cases, with rates now around levels last seen in early December.

Chair of Care Forum Wales, Mario Kreft, welcomed the measures that offered "light at the end of the tunnel".

He added: "Care homes are not insured against Covid-19 so not all our members will follow the guidance.

"What we are seeing is an opening up of the care sector. We can't just do it with visitors without looking at other aspects.

"It isn't quite as straight-forward as it would seem when you are trying to keep people safe."

The rules mean that both residents and visitors do not need to wear face masks when they see each other.

However this rule can vary from home to home so residents, visitors or both parties may be asked to wear one.

Earlier Mr Drakeford told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast that the government planned to "liberalise not the number of people who can visit so much, as the terms on which they visit".

He added: "No need to wear masks when you're visiting somebody in their own room, no need for testing when people who live in a care home, it's their home isn't it, when they leave the care home and return.

"The need for testing will be reduced and we'll be back to where we were before we had to deal with the latest crisis [before the Omicron wave]."

The UK government is lifting limits on the number of visitors to care homes in England, as from Monday, though no such restriction was in place in Wales.

A Welsh government spokesman said: "The updated guidance emphasises the need for people to be supported to have visitors and to go out from care homes in a risk-managed way.

"More routine visiting into and out of care homes may now continue during some outbreaks, depending on public health advice for the specific outbreak.

"In response to the Omicron wave regular testing for health and social care staff was increased to before every shift.

"With case rates on the decline, the move back to alert level zero and the protection the booster programme has provided, we will now recommend reverting back to twice weekly lateral flow testing and, for care home staff, weekly PCR tests."