Visits resume at Ontario retirement and long-term care facilities

Long-term care, retirement and other residential homes are open to visitors.

There are various rules in place, depending on the facility, including passing a COVID-19 screening every visit and wearing a face covering.

Long-term care homes will allow one visitor per resident in an outdoor setting.

Retirement homes can allow both indoor and outdoor visits in designated areas where physical distancing can be maintained.

Other care settings will allow outdoor visits of two people at a time.

In many cases, appointments will have to be made to ensure safety protocols can be maintained.

Retirement and long-term care homes must not be in an outbreak.

Ontario restricted visits to these facilities in mid-March, allowing only essential visitors.

The government says if a second wave of COVID-19 occurs, visitors will once again be restricted.

As of Wednesday, Ontario is reporting 68 long-term care homes in an outbreak.

There are 381 long-term care residents and 435 staff members with the virus.

1,798 long-term care residents have died.