Restrictions on visitors to nursing homes, 24-hour care homes and immediate 24-hour assistance

The restrictions for the municipality of Hitra apply:

• Hitra nursing home
• Hitra housing cooperative (Blåfjell)

Patients in nursing homes, 24-hour care homes and immediate 24-hour care will be at increased risk of serious illness due to COVID-19 due to high age and comorbidity.

Good cough and hand hygiene reduces the risk of COVID-19 infection and visitors should follow basic infection control procedures to protect patients. Visitors mean relatives and circle of residents, volunteers and others who provide services and contribute activities at the institution.

The Directorate of Health advises that the following persons do not visit municipal health institutions:

• People who have been in areas with persistent spread of COVID-19 for the past 14 days.

Areas of persistent infection spread are constantly updated on Fhi’s websites:

• People who have been in close contact with a person who has been confirmed to be infected with COVID-19 for the past 14 days.

Close contact is defined as:

• • lived in the same household
  • nursed / treated or handled specimens from infected patient without using recommended
    infection control equipment
  • stayed in a confined environment with a person who was confirmed ill with covid-19 in
    more than 15 minutes and at less than 2 meters distance, has been sitting nearby (two seats
    or more closely in all directions) by a person confirmed sick with covid-19 on the plane
  • have been part of the same travel companion as a person who is confirmed sick with covid-19

Further information on defining close contacts can be found on Fhi’s website

• People who have had signs of respiratory infection for the past 14 days.

Symptoms of fever, sore throat and cough have been reported. COVID-19 can in some cases cause very mild symptoms so that a light cold or flushing in itself without any other signs of illness should cause visits to the institution to be postponed.

The same risk assessment could include persons in the housing disabilities communities, children’s homes and BPA schemes, so that the above-mentioned councils will also be the debts of visitors to them.

It is important that the above information is made known to visitors before they possibly show up at the institution.

Further information on Fhi’s pages is also shown on both the advice to the population and health professionals about COVID-19.