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Visitors to care homes will get a 20-minute coronavirus test, Welsh Government has announced.
Lateral flow testing, the same tests that are being used in mass testing in Merthyr Tydfil, will be used to return quick results.
Temporary ‘visitor pods’ will also be provided to some care homes in Wales to enable family members to safely visit family members over Christmas and the winter months.
The two pilots will take place from next week and will be rolled out to further homes, if successful, from Monday, December 14.
Speaking at the Welsh Government’s coronavirus press briefing, Health Minister Vaughan Gething said: “These tests will give home managers extra confidence and reassurance that visits can go ahead without coronavirus also coming into the care home.
“These tests do not replace all the other measures, such as infection control, social distancing and hand hygiene, which are so important to preventing the spread of coronavirus, especially in care homes.”
It has not yet been announced which care homes will take part in the pilot projects, or if any in Caerphilly will be involved.
Care homes deemed suitable to receive the pods will be selected next week.
The £3 million visitor-pods project is intended to help care homes provide safe visiting by expanding capacity within care homes to better support visiting where space is limited and social distancing is difficult.
Welcoming the scheme, Mr Gething said: “We all know how difficult recent months have been for people living in care homes and their loved ones. However, ensuring the safety of our most vulnerable has always been paramount.
“Having engaged with key stakeholders, we are confident these units are a way to enable meaningful visits to take place.
“The pilot scheme will help us to understand whether visiting pods are an effective and practical way of supporting meaningful visits.”
Caerphilly’s care homes have recently reopened to visitors after being closed during the local lockdown and Wales-wide firebreak lockdown.
To date (Monday, November 23), 22 people have died of coronavirus in care homes in Caerphilly County Borough.
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