CARE homes will be allowed to admit visitors and new residents earlier after a positive coronavirus test under new Scottish Government plans.
Previously, 28 days had to pass before people could be allowed into care homes, but Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said that will now be reduced to 14 days, provided public health officials give the green light.
Nicola Sturgeon said a trial of rapid tests tests is being carried out in 14 care homes across Scotland.
It will take place in homes in North Ayrshire, Fife, Argyll and Bute, Inverclyde and Aberdeenshire.
These rapid tests do not need to go to labs and can give results in under an hour
Testing kits will be sent out to all care homes next week.
Freeman told the coronavirus briefing in Edinburgh: “We hope that this provides further support to care home residents, to staff and to families, to return to closer visiting, safe visiting, and allow some of the issues that have been raised in the past inevitably as a result of what we had to do in the early stages of the pandemic to be positively addressed now.”
The move comes as a pilot of testing for visitors is due to start this week in 14 homes across the country ahead of a full rollout next week.
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