Non-essential care home visits suspended in Wolverhampton over rise in coronavirus cases

Wolverhampton Council made the move as a precautionary measure to protect residents and staff from further outbreaks of the virus.

It means non-essential visiting – both indoors and outdoors – has been suspended with only essential and compassionate visiting going ahead.

And people visiting for essential reasons should take heed of infection prevention measures and use personal protective equipment.

Councillor Linda Leach, Wolverhampton Council's cabinet member for adult services, said: "We know how important it is for families and friends to be able to visit their loved ones and have been working closely with local care homes to ensure this can be done as safely as possible.

"Unfortunately, due to an increase in coronavirus infection rates both locally and regionally, we have had to take the decision to temporarily halt non-essential visiting.

"Our understanding of how the virus moves around our communities is still being formed and we feel it is necessary to take this precautionary measure so that we can tackle the spread of Covid-19 and protect people in high risk groups, including care home residents.

"By making this move now, we hope to reduce the risk of outbreaks similar to those in the first few weeks of the pandemic which sadly led to considerable loss of life in care homes in other parts of the country.

"We appreciate everyone's support in helping minimise risk to residents and staff who live and work in care homes in the city."

Wolverhampton Council took the decision as a precautionary measure to protect residents and staff after consulting with Public Health.

Anyone with symptoms – no matter how mild – should immediately self-isolate and book a test by visiting www.nhs.uk/coronavirus or calling 119.