ERS to reopen to visitors with negative Covid result

People visiting Elderly Residential Services must be swabbed and receive a negative result for Covid-19 prior to entering the facilities, the Gibraltar Government has unveiled.
ERS will be reopening in a limited and restricted capacity in a bid to avoid another outbreak of cases.
The Government confirmed visits will be allowed to residents at all ERS sites as from Tuesday, December 15, strictly adhering to safeguarding criteria.
"Visits will be allowed as long as there are no confirmed positive cases of Covid-19 in the premises," the Government said.
"In line with Public Health recommendations, in the event that more than one positive Covid-19 case in a particular ERS site is detected, visiting will be discontinued until the situation is resolved."
All visitors must follow the new protocol before attending an ERS site.
Visitors must contact the residential floor in order to book a visit and visitors will require a negative Covid-19 swab prior to their visit.
For swabs visitors should call 200 41818 and identify themselves as an ERS visitor. The swab test will be carried out between 7.30am and 12 noon the day before the booked visit.
Consent will be required by the Drive-Thru for visitors’ negative swab results to be notified to ERS management for the sole purpose of safeguarding the residents during their visit.
Visits will be allowed on Tuesdays and Saturdays, from 11am to 12pm, from 3pm to 4pm and from 6pm to 7pm.
This will facilitate cleaning and disinfection of the visiting premises in between
visits.
Over the holiday period visitors will be allowed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, no visitors will be allowed on Boxing day (26) through to Monday 28, included, visits will resume on Tuesday, December 29, with the next visits allowed on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s day.
Those wishing to visit on December 29 must be swabbed at the Drive Thru on December 28.
"Placing Elderly Residential Services on lockdown was a heartbreaking but necessary decision for the safety of residents that was not taken lightly, but it was a necessary decision at the time," the Minister for Health and Care, Samantha Sacramento said.
"The staff at Elderly Residential Services have worked extremely hard to establishing a safe visiting procedure which has required a lot of consultation and coordination with the aim to allow families and friends to visit the residents."
"I am delighted that we are now in a position to safely welcome back visitors to our residents in time for the holiday period. We must however all remember that there will always be an element of risk and we must impress upon all visitors the importance of strictly observing the rules and ask that they act with caution when visiting for the safety of all."