Care homes call for national lockdown now to protect residents

Care homes are urging the government to put England into a national lockdown to halt the threat of more coronavirus deaths and “protect our oldest and most vulnerable”.

“The country needs an urgent, short and total lockdown to halt a steady rise in the number of people dying from the virus in care and nursing homes”, Mike Padgham, the chair of the Independent Care Group (ICG) which represents care homes said.

Time for a 'short, sharp lockdown’

Mike Padgham, who is also the owner of Saint Cecilia's Care Services, which operates four care homes, said: “It is now time to end the confusion and hold the so-called ‘circuit-breaker' lockdown as other countries in the UK have.

“Today's figures from the Office for National Statistics show 63 people died from COVID-19 in care and nursing homes across England and Wales in the week ending 9 October, up from 46 the previous week and the highest total since July”.

The ICG has said deaths have been rising in recent weeks with 15,712 people dying from COVID-19 in care homes from 28 December to 9 October.

"Reluctantly, I think the time has come for a short, sharp lockdown to try to stop the second wave in its tracks.

"We are now starting to see more significant increases in the number of COVID-19 deaths in care and nursing homes and we have to act quickly. These figures are a week or two behind, so I would expect the reality to be somewhat worse."

‘Protect our oldest and most vulnerable’

Overall, the UK has recorded 21,331 COVID-19 cases on Tuesday (20 October) and 241 deaths - the highest daily deaths since 5 June, according to government figures.

In Wales, a short, sharp 'firebreak' will start from 6pm on Friday 23 October in a bid by the Welsh Government to regain control of COVID-19, with lockdown measures in place until Monday 9 November.

Appealing for a lockdown in England, the ICG chair warned: "As care providers we see that these are people's loved ones - a wife, a husband, a mother, a father, an aunt, an uncle, a brother or sister. We cannot let COVID-19 take so many people as it did in the first wave.

"Yes, we have to protect the economy but first and foremost we have to protect people's lives and the lives of the staff caring for them.

"At the moment we have people travelling all over the place, from areas of high infection rate to low areas, so the virus is bound to spread and spread. It is regrettable, but I feel the only way is to lockdown again and protect our oldest and most vulnerable in particular.”