hankyoreh

A nursing home in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province. (Hankyoreh archives)

Disease control authorities’ guidelines instructing people to avoid visiting nursing homes and nursing hospitals are to remain in place even as social distancing practices are eased with the introduction of a “everyday disease prevention” system on May 6. In anticipation of a growing number of people attempting to visit senior citizens in nursing hospitals for the upcoming Parents’ Day holiday, authorities have been recommending that they communicate by video chatting rather than visiting in person.

“Nursing facilities and centers have a high number of high-risk individuals, namely senior citizens and people with pre-existing conditions, and we’re not yet at the stage for considering relaxing disease prevention measures and removing restrictions on meetings and outside activities,” said Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) Director Jung Eun-kyeong in a regular briefing that day.

“These measures will need to remain in place until the risk of community infections has become substantially lower,” she insisted.

In late January, the South Korean government sent novel coronavirus guidelines to nursing hospitals and other facilities recommending that they prohibit meetings and outside activities and not assign duties to individuals who showed possible virus symptoms or had recently traveled overseas. On Apr. 8, the facilities were classified as “high-risk populations” and disease prevention measures were intensified further through an administrative order and other measures.

“I personally know people who have parents living in nursing hospitals and nursing homes, and they ask me whether it’s ‘okay to visit them this Parents’ Day,’” Jung said.

“It’s definitely essential to have that time for sharing affection with family members, but as disease control authorities, our first concern is for the safety of senior citizens,” she explained.

Health authorities recommend communication via video chat

“Unfortunately, we are prohibiting meetings this year and urge people to inquire after [relatives’] health through video chatting and other means,” she added.

As the ban on visits has stretched for over three months, more and more sad cases are emerging of people unable to be with their loved ones in their final moments. Some nursing homes are considering allowing limited meetings in isolated settings.

Speaking in a telephone interview with the Hankyoreh, a Ministry of Health and Welfare official said, “Since the guidelines [on disease prevention at the facilities] are currently so stringent, we’re in discussions with experts on amending and loosening them in consideration of the current status of coronavirus cases and the situation now that ‘everyday social distancing’ has been adopted.”

By Kwon Ji-dam, staff reporter

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