Ontario is bringing back surveillance testing for COVID-19 in long-term care homes and will require that visitors be fully vaccinated against the virus.
Long-Term Care Minister Rod Phillips says the restrictions are a response to rising COVID-19 cases and the threat from the Omicron variant.
Only fully vaccinated people will be able to visit indoors, though unvaccinated caregivers have until February 21st to get their second shots.
Staff -- who all need to be fully vaccinated to work in the homes -- will need to be tested twice per week, along with volunteers and caregivers.
Regular visitors will need to show a negative test from within the last day and residents will only be allowed to see two visitors at a time indoors.
There are also restrictions on resident activities and cohorts will be required for some high-risk activities like dining.