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Family members will be able to visit relatives in nursing homes starting Wednesday if they have received a negative COVID-19 test.
The Department of Health and Welfare has said more than a million tests will be sent to nursing home providers over the next month to allow safe visits indoors.
The visits can be made at all levels and will begin on Wednesday.
Visitors should minimize contact as much as possible and wear personal protective equipment (PPE) to protect their loved ones, the Health Department said.
Providers registered with the Quality of Care Commission will receive an additional 46 million items of PPE for free, according to the government.
“I know how difficult it has been for people in nursing homes and their families to be separated for so long,” said Health Secretary Matt Hancock.
“The separation has been painful, but it has protected residents and staff from this deadly virus.
“I am very happy that we can now help reunite families and allow people to have meaningful contact with their loved ones at Christmas in a more secure way.
“This news has been made possible by unprecedented advances in technology and testing capabilities, as well as additional supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE).”
Care Minister Helen Whately said: “It is impossible to eliminate risk completely, but now, thanks to a huge expansion in testing capacity and a large delivery of free PPE, we can help bring families together more safe throughout December. “
The Health Department said more than a million lateral flow tests, providing rapid results, have been sent to the 385 largest nursing homes.
Ministers say the number of test kits will allow up to two visitors per resident, based on visiting twice a week, and households will manage the number of visits.
Professor Martin Green, Executive Director of Care England, said the sector must be supported in order for the government’s plans to become reality.
“We appreciate the ongoing risks associated with visits, but this represents a positive step forward,” he said.
“The most important relationships in most people’s lives are with their families or others, where love and trust are shared.”
Caroline Abrahams, director of charities for Age UK, said it was really good news that the government has “significantly changed” its position on home visiting.
But he warned: “The government has promised that everyone will be able to visit their loved one at Christmas and while this is a laudable goal, it is also highly ambitious, so we remain concerned that practical difficulties of various kinds will get in the way. in the path”. for some.
“Older people and their families have been through so much that we must be careful not to disappoint them further.”
