If no particular restriction measure is imposed on the French for their family celebrations, the Minister in charge of Autonomy, Brigitte Bourguignon, has however issued recommendations for visits to nursing homes, in order to spend the end of the year the most serene possible.
The watchwords of government policy: “protect without isolating”. The suspension of visits and the confinement of residents in nursing homes must remain “exceptional” measures and “strictly conditional on the development of a cluster within the establishment” assured the minister in a press release. As a reminder, establishments where three cases of coronavirus are detected are considered to be a cluster. As soon as three people test positive within the nursing home, visits may be suspended.
It is therefore recommended that establishments scrupulously respect barrier gestures during the holiday season, in particular wearing a mask when visiting residents’ rooms. The presentation of the health pass to enter is obviously always required.
In the event that residents leave to their loved ones for the holidays, they will be able to return to the nursing home without submitting to isolation and will still be able to participate in collective activities. However, residents and families who organize festivities are advised to get tested before the holidays and seven days after return, regardless of their vaccination status.
The government also invites establishments for the elderly to “organize events in a seated configuration in order to guarantee respect for the distances between each person without wearing a mask and to limit the number of guests at the same table.”
Concerning professionals, interveners or volunteers who work in nursing homes, they are strongly advised to carry out a PCR or antigen test on their return from vacation to avoid potential contamination of residents.
The government calls for caution, especially with the circulation of the Omicron variant, even if the epidemic recovery remains very limited in nursing homes. Last week, 975 residents tested positive in France, and 33 died. Only 4% of the 7,500 nursing homes in the territory are affected by a cluster episode according to ministry data.