The Ford government is announcing additional steps are being taken to protect residents of Ontario’s long-term care homes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

(CBC)

These include restricting residents from leaving a home for short visits with family and friends.

Instead, residents who want to go outside will be able to remain on the property and maintain a safe distance from family and friends who visit.

The province also increasing long-term-care bed availability to ensure homes are able to provide isolation rooms when needed, as well as providing long-term beds for those on a long-term home waitlist.

Especially those in hospital who no longer require to be there, freeing up beds for those who do.

Long-term care homes are already prohibiting non-essential visits and screening essential visitors, staff, volunteers, residents moving into a home, as well as those residents returning to a long-term care facility.