Long-term care visitor restrictions returning to pre-Omicron state next week, B.C. officials say

Visitation restrictions in B.C. long-term care homes are being eased next week, the province's top doctor announced Thursday.

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said the province plans to return to the visitation rules that were in place before the Omicron wave of the pandemic.

The change will take effect on March 18, Henry said, though she later clarified that some care homes may be ready to welcome visitors sooner than that.

"The goal will be to increase visitation and opportunities for connection between residents and families while continuing to protect those we know are most vulnerable to serious illness," Henry said.

Before B.C. tightened its restrictions on Jan. 1, the province was allowing social visits for long-term care residents. Residents were allowed to see multiple visitors at the same time, and to visit family members without masks. 

Visitors were required to be fully vaccinated, however, and had to take a rapid test for COVID-19 before beginning their visit.

Those two requirements - vaccination and rapid testing - will remain in place after March 18, Henry said Thursday.

She also noted that individual long-term care homes may have staff limitations and other challenges that make allowing visits more difficult. She said care home operators should be reaching out to residents' family members over the coming week to communicate their specific needs and availability for visitation.

"What I'm asking for is patience," Henry said.

Some of the considerations long-term care homes may ask visitors to take could include scheduling visits in advance or spacing them out, the provincial health officer said. 

Henry announced the changes at a news conference Thursday afternoon, during which she also announced the end dates for B.C.'s indoor mask mandate and its vaccine passport program.

Long-term care and assisted-living facilities have been the site of many of B.C.'s nearly 3,000 COVID-19-related deaths since the pandemic began.

As of Thursday, there were 14 ongoing outbreaks of the coronavirus in health-care facilities in the province, most of them in long-term care.

In response to Thursday's announcement, BC Care Providers Association CEO Terry Lake issued a statement thanking provincial health officials for the updated guidance and asking for patience from would-be visitors as care homes adjust to the changes.

“We know that social connections between residents and their loved ones are necessary to maintaining quality of life, and that the restrictions throughout the pandemic have been especially hard on residents and their beloved companions," Lake said.

He also called on the province to provide more clarity around the use of rapid tests - specifically "where and how often" they will be required for visitors.

“BCCPA throughout the pandemic has sought to ensure that clear, written guidelines for visitors are made available on a timely basis from public health officials," Lake said. "We have requested that the details of today’s announcement are provided in writing as soon as possible."