Forum: Limit on visitor numbers helps keep nursing home residents safe

We thank Dr Lee Pheng Soon for his feedback (Nursing home's policy allows for only one visitor a week, June 23).

In phase two of Singapore's reopening, nursing homes have begun allowing visitors, with safe management measures in place. These include visitor screening, ensuring hand hygiene before and after visits, and safe distancing during visits.

To prevent crowding in nursing homes, the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC) have also advised them to put in place caps on the duration and number of visitors allowed each day.

These are applicable during phase two, and nursing homes have leeway to schedule visits within these caps. This allows them to keep residents and visitors safe.

We understand that the nursing home mentioned by Dr Lee had scheduled one visitor per resident per week to space visits out, so that more residents have the opportunity to receive visitors. If there are available slots, the nursing home will subsequently allow the visitor to visit more frequently.

We understand that family members wish to spend more time with their loved ones. But we seek their understanding to work with our nursing home partners to keep visits safe during phase two. The MOH and AIC will review and adjust these measures as the Covid-19 situation evolves.

Ong Yunn Shing
Chief, Integrated Communications and Marketing
Agency for Integrated Care

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