Ontario LTC visitors must be fully vaccinated, mandatory testing for staff

Ontario is bringing back some restrictions in long-term care and retirement settings in an effort to protect residents and staff as the Omicron variant takes hold in the province.

Effective immediately, all visitors to long-term care homes in the province will have to be fully vaccinated. A host of other measures for long-term care homes will take effect on Friday (see below).

“We will also be requiring the testing of staff, students, volunteers and caregivers, regardless of vaccination status,” said Dr. Kieran Moore, during his Tuesday COVID-19 briefing.

Along with the new measures, all homes in the province will be directed to increase their infection and prevention control (IPAC) audits.

“As we continue to learn more about the Omicron variant and see its impacts on other jurisdictions around the world, it is critical we provide those at greatest risk from COVID-19 in our congregate care settings with an extra layer of protection against this new enemy,” said Dr. Kieran Moore, Chief Medical Officer of Health.

“By strengthening public health measures in these settings, we can ensure our most vulnerable are kept safe and shielded from the threats posed by Omicron and other variants of concern.”

Long-Term Care Minister Rod Phillips said the indefinite measures are a response to rising community COVID-19 infections and the “emerging threat” of the Omicron variant, believed to be highly infectious and on track to become dominant in Ontario soon.

“We need to immediately implement some measures to make sure we’re protecting the most vulnerable,” Phillips said in an interview Tuesday. He said the restrictions will eventually be lifted, but they will remain as long as deemed necessary to protect people.

Measures effective in long-term care homes at 12:01 a.m. Dec. 17:

• Testing of all staff and caregivers regardless of vaccination status — at least twice a week and prior to entry
• All visitors or support workers entering homes must have a negative test the day of entry, or day prior to entry
• Caregivers must be fully vaccinated, unless they have a valid medical exemption or are attending to a resident in a palliative end-of-life situation. Caregivers will be required to have a first dose by December 20, 2021 and all required doses to be considered fully vaccinated by February 21, 2022. In the interim, designated caregivers who are not fully vaccinated would need to restrict their visit to the resident’s room.
• Limiting indoor visits to a maximum of two people per resident at a time and outdoor visits, where feasible, to a maximum total of four people per resident at a time.
• Cohorting of residents for higher-risk activities, such as singing and dancing, and discouraging large social activities. This is in addition to the cohorting of residents during meal times, which is currently occurring.
• Limiting social day trips to only residents who are fully vaccinated and requiring those residents who leave the home for social reasons to be actively screened upon their return to the home and if they had a known exposure to a case, isolated and tested using a PCR test. All residents, regardless of vaccination status, can continue to leave the home for essential reasons, such as medical appointments.
• Suspending overnight absences for social purposes regardless of residents’ vaccination status. Residents who wish to leave the home overnight for social purposes or due to COVID-19 may be temporarily discharged and need to follow the re-admission protocol to return at a later date.

Measure effective in retirement homes on Dec. 22:

• Requiring rapid antigen testing for staff, volunteers, contractors and essential caregivers,
  regardless of vaccination status, two times per week prior to entry into the home as part of
  enhanced active screening practices.
• Requiring rapid antigen testing for general visitors and support workers entering a retirement
  home, regardless of vaccination status.
• Strongly encouraging retirement homes to restrict general visitors to only those who are fully
  vaccinated and implementing additional requirements for essential visitors and general
  visitors who are not fully vaccinated when entering a retirement home.
• Limiting the number of visitors and group sizes for social activities and events.
• Implementing additional testing and isolation requirements for residents when they return
  from an overnight absence.
• Instructing retirement homes to increase IPAC audits.

RELATED: Pfizer vaccine protects 70% against hospitalization from Omicron: study

As of Tuesday, there are 95 confirmed cases of Omicron in the province. On Monday, the province’s panel of expert advisers on COVID-19 estimated the new variant makes up 30 per cent of new daily infections, with cases doubling every three days.

The Ontario government expanded vaccine booster eligibility to all residents 50 and older on Monday. Eligibility for boosters will be expanded to all adults on Jan. 4.

With files from the Canadian Press