To ask the Minister of Health whether updated guidance will be issued to care homes on Christmas visitation.

With the upcoming Christmas period we expect that there will be greater demand for relatives / friends to visit their loved ones across all care settings. However, at the present time there are no plans to change the hospital visiting guidance in Northern Ireland over the Christmas period, as the available evidence would not support such a relaxation.

While no change to the Care Home visiting guidance is planned, supplementary guidance (here) which provides further clarity for residents, families and care home staff on visiting both within and without the Homes over the Christmas period has been developed, and was issued on 10 December.