Care homes, shuls and schools deal with impact of Omicron rule changes - The Jewish Chronicle

Care homes and synagogues have tightened requirements for visitors and worshippers this week to meet the government’s new Covid safety rules for England.

Although face coverings at places of worship are now mandatory, synagogue organisations were already asking congregants to wear masks so there was no real change on Shabbat.

However, care homes have had to implement changes which took effect on Wednesday limiting each resident to three nominated visitors for indoor get-togethers.

But Jewish Care is among providers which have installed outdoor pods at their homes and pod visits are not limited to the three nominated loved ones.

Jewish Care explained that residents may also have one nominated “essential care-giver”, by agreement with the home’s management.

Staff testing will also increase and the charity said that employees now eligible for a booster jab were being encouraged to get it.

Norwood director of engagement Hazel Kaye said it was maintaining a “vigilant and risk-containing approach.

“By limiting visitor access to our services, we continue to prioritise the health and safety of the people we support and our staff. We also remain in close contact with local authorities and Public Health England to ensure that our approach complies with their guidelines.”

At Manchester’s major communal welfare provider, The Fed, chief executive Mark Cunningham reflected that it had been 640 days since the introduction of restrictions and infection control measures at its Heathlands Village.

“The experience of living and working in a care home has been very different to the one that most people have in the community,” he stressed.

“The reality is our visiting protocol will not change significantly. There is an obvious reduction in visitor numbers but we don’t anticipate any issues with this.

“Our partnership with relatives and friends is very positive and people acknowledge that the legislation and rules are different for us.”

Mr Cunningham added that “we now have all eligible staff vaccinated. A significant number have been boosted and we are accelerating this programme.

“Keeping the site safe is our priority. At the same time, we are just trying to keep everything normal for our residents and ensure that they are well cared for and happy.”

The United Synagogue, Liberal Judaism and the Movement for Reform Judaism have all told the JC that none of their shuls offering in-person services had decided to close because of fears over the Omicron wave.

In fact, Golders Green United Synagogue reportedly enjoyed its highest attendance since Yomtov on Shabbat. This was partly due to a barmitzvah and in a nice touch, the celebrating family distributed branded face masks.

However, at the Jewish Small Communities Network, chief executive Ed Horwich said that a number of congregations were keeping their in-person provision under review.

In Scotland, where First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has urged limits on contacts between households, some Glasgow shuls have cancelled kiddush.

Meanwhile, there are reports that parents of children with imminent bar/batmitzahs are keeping them off school for fear of exposure to the virus.

Yavneh executive head Spencer Lewis was aware of instances but said: “It is not something we have authorised. The importance of ongoing education and not missing out on lessons is more important than ever.”

Having welcomed back Progressive rabbinic students for in-person tuition in October for the first time in 18 months, Leo Baeck College has returned to online-only teaching for the remainder of the current term.

And at employment charity Work Avenue, CEO David Arden said: “Our jobs’ board continues to expand. We have seen so many people find work over the last six months and so many small businesses start to thrive again. So we hope this positive development can continue notwithstanding [rule tightening].”