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Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry has announced that visitors will soon be permitted in long term and assisted care homes in BC.
The ban on non-essential visits was first put in place in March and officially lifted on Tuesday.
Residents in homes will now be able to have a single, designated visitor in designated areas, the specifics of which will be worked out by each facility in the coming days.
However, long term care facilities and assisted care homes with ongoing outbreaks will not permit visitors.
There are currently five facilities with ongoing outbreaks in BC.
Visitors will be screened for illness upon entry and will have to wear a mask for the visit to go ahead.
Services such as barbers will also be permitted to visit facilities in the coming weeks.
Health Minister Adrian Dix announced the province is providing more than $160 million in funding for the facilities to can hire more full-time staff to help facilitate visits safely.
Dix said the money will equate to about 2,040 additional staff for more than 680 homes across the province, both public and private.
On Monday, health officials reported 26 new cases of COVID-19 in B.C. over the past three days and no new deaths.
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