Care home residents celebrate lifting of visitor restrictions

Previously, residents were only allowed three named visitors plus an essential caregiver.

Restrictions have been lifted in England (Yui Mok/PA) (PA Wire)

Care home residents in England are celebrating the lifting of restrictions on the number of visitors they can receive.

Christine Rogers, 93, who lives at the Signature at Weybridge care home in Surrey told the PA news agency the development was “absolutely wonderful”.

In recent months, she has only been allowed three named visitors, plus an essential caregiver, and they saw each other while separated by a glass screen.

She said: “It was better than nothing, but not very satisfactory really, because you can’t really hear very well.”

Ms Rogers said she is looking forward to visits from her son, daughter, daughter-in-law and granddaughter, who always “bring all sorts of lovely things – flowers, always”.

“I tell them not to, I say it’s lovely to see them – you know, they don’t need to bring anything, but then they don’t take any notice.”

The nonagenarian also said she was looking forward to “catching up on all the gossip”.

“You can do that on the phone, but you didn’t always remember what to say,” she said.