Choi Sio Un, who heads the Social Solidarity Department of the Social Welfare Bureau (IAS), announced during Wednesday’s press conference that the local government has tightened arrangements for family members to visit those in the city’s elderly care homes, in the wake of a number of COVID-19 cases that have been newly confirmed in such homes in Hong Kong.
Choi said that while Macao has never confirmed any COVID-19 case in its elderly care homes and social service facilities, the new measures were needed due to Hong Kong’s latest COVID-19 situation.
According to Choi, family members initially had only been allowed to visit the relatives in elderly care homes’ designated areas after the COVID-19 epidemic emerged in Macao early this year. Afterwards, when Macao’s COVID-19 epidemic situation began to ease, family members were allowed to visit their infirm relatives in their elderly care home bedrooms.
Choi said that in response to Hong Kong’s latest situation, family members again are only allowed to visit their relatives in elderly care homes’ designated areas, adding that his bureau has informed the city’s elderly care homes of the new tightened visit measures. Choi also said that under the new measures, the elderly care homes will arrange family members to meet their infirm relatives who are unable to leave their bedroom by online video only.
(The Macau Post Daily/Macau News)
