'Visiting Nursing Hospitals and Facilities Allowed After Vaccination' Difficult This Parents' Day

On March 9, when contact visits were allowed only for patients or residents nearing the end of life, or for critically ill patients, Lee Yong-beom is visiting his mother, Son Yong-chang, at Gaeunmyeongwon in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] The government’s plan to allow in-person visits at nursing hospitals and facilities for those who have completed COVID-19 vaccination had raised expectations, but it seems unlikely that such visits will be possible on Parents' Day (May 8) this year.

Yoon Tae-ho, head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters’ quarantine team, stated at the regular briefing of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters on the 7th, "Currently, the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters and the Central Disease Control Headquarters are reviewing detailed guidelines," adding, "Once completed, we are making efforts to gather field opinions and ensure the guidelines can be well applied on site." This implies that allowing face-to-face visits on Parents' Day, which is just one day away, is difficult.

Yoon explained, "Since tomorrow (the 8th) is Parents' Day, I understand that the desire to visit elderly parents or seniors in nursing hospitals and facilities is quite strong," and added, "Currently, limited visits are allowed, but full visits are still somewhat difficult."

Earlier, the government announced a plan to allow in-person visits if either the visitor or the hospitalized patient has completed COVID-19 vaccination. Here, completion of vaccination means having received all recommended doses for each vaccine and having passed the two-week antibody formation period.

Accordingly, since AstraZeneca (AZ) vaccine administration began on February 26 for nursing hospital and facility patients, residents, and workers under 65 years old, it is expected that discussions on in-person visits will intensify only after two weeks from the start of the second dose on the 14th, which is 11 weeks after the first dose.

Yoon said, "The elderly who received the AZ vaccine will start their second dose after the 14th," and explained, "Considering that immunity is fully formed two weeks after the second dose, we will refer to this schedule and provide guidance accordingly."

An inpatient in their 90s, along with their child and daughter-in-law, are having a non-face-to-face visit separated by a transparent partition at Gangnam Nursing Hospital in Dong-gu, Gwangju.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Last March, the government banned visits to nursing hospitals and facilities to prevent the spread of COVID-19. This measure was gradually eased, allowing non-contact visits under social distancing level 2 or below from July last year, and since March, limited in-person visits have been permitted only in cases such as end-of-life, unconsciousness, severe patients, or when the attending physician recognizes the necessity for emotional stability.

Yoon emphasized, "During the third wave, there were many casualties in nursing hospitals and facilities," and added, "Learning from this, regular proactive testing was conducted in nursing hospitals and facilities during the third wave, followed by vaccination." He continued, "There was active participation and sacrifice from workers in nursing hospitals and facilities, elderly patients and residents, and their families," expressing gratitude once again. He also said, "More active and frequent visits will be possible under conditions where vaccination proceeds smoothly," and added, "Please bear with us a little longer, and the government will listen to field opinions more promptly and provide guidance."