Covid: Sister’s plea over Lincolnshire care visit ban

Kate Habel said her brother Paul Burgin was finding lockdown "really difficult" without visitors

The sister of a man living in supported accommodation said it is "not fair" that his family is unable to see him despite the lifting of a ban on visits to care homes.

Kate Habel cannot visit her brother, who has Down's syndrome, as he shares his living space with other people.

Also, rapid lateral flow tests for visitors are not available in supported accommodation.

The government said the tests are only provided in "high risk settings".

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Ms Habel said her brother Paul Burgin was finding lockdown "really difficult" without visitors and said that care providers "should all be treated the same".

"It's awful because I was getting so excited thinking at least I can be his one designated person to go and see him," she said.

"Adults with learning disabilities, they need continuation, they need to be able to see people and they're just the same as the people in the care homes, they're still in a care setting and it's just not fair."

'Higher risk'

Under the new rules introduced on Monday, care home residents in England will be allowed one regular visitor. They are able to meet indoors and hold hands - but visitors must wear PPE and be tested beforehand.

Tom Harrison from the charity which runs the accommodation in Lincolnshire where Mr Burgin lives said the government had "prioritised care homes" throughout the pandemic.

"They are at higher risk I understand that," he said.

"But, it is right that families of people that are in supported living settings perhaps have felt that their needs and their circumstances haven't been given enough attention."

In a statement, the Department for Health and Social Care said it understood that "physical contact is so important when we meet our loved ones, but it increases the risk of passing on the virus, however unintentional".

"We appreciate the challenges which people in supported living and their families have faced as a result of lockdown and we will continue to consider and advise on how to visit safely in supported living settings."