As of today (17 March) Cumbria Care, the council’s in-house care provider, is restricting visitors to its 23 Residential Care homes in response to the ongoing COVID-19 epidemic.

Pam Duke, Assistant Director for Provider Services, said: “Due to the majority of the residents within our homes falling within the high risk category we are asking people to not visit their relatives and friends over the next few weeks. We are already restricting all other people entering our homes and allowing only essential staff such as District Nurses, Social Workers and only critical contractors in order to keep our homes safe.

“We understand that there will be exceptional circumstances and some families will still need to visit their loved ones, we ask that these visits are agreed with the home manager in advance and of course no one will be permitted to enter if they are unwell.

“Alongside increased hand hygiene and strict infection control regimes, we’re taking these steps to keep our residents and staff safe during a very difficult and uncertain time.”

Families and friends will be offered the choice of Skype or telephone contact with residents and staff.