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ARCHIVED - Regional governments empowered to take over homes for the elderly following shocking corpse discoveries
Strict new measures govern old people’s homes after scandalous revelations of Covid-19 deaths
With the number of coronavirus cases confirmed in Spain continuing to rise sharply the capacity of the regional health services to deal with increased patient numbers is becoming more and more overstretched, and in an effort to ease the situation legislation published in the official State Bulletin (BOE) on Tuesday makes it possible for regional governments to convert residences for the elderly into official public healthcare centres if deemed necessary.
What this means is that patients could be sent for treatment to old people’s homes specially adapted for the purpose rather than to hospitals, and although exact details have not been specified it is clear that the measure applies to both publicly and privately managed establishments.
The same governmental order also states that all homes for the elderly and disabled will be placed under the supervision of health inspectors. This follows some shocking cases reported by the Minister of Defence, Margarita Robles, who informed this week that in some cases members of the Military Emergencies Unit (UME) have found residents dead in their beds at homes where they were disinfecting the premises.
In the Region of Murcia a resident of the Caser home for the elderly in Santo Ángel died in hospital on Monday, just hours after the centre had reported that there were no cases of Covid-19 on the premises, and since then another seven residents have tested positive.
Sra Robles promised far-reading action in response to cases such as these, and the governmental order published on Tuesday also specifies that the UME will complete documentation assessing the conditions in each centre they visit to disinfect and clean, checking the condition of all patients, the number of personnel on site, the condition of the home etc and the documentation will be use as evidence in any criminal investigations undertaken as a aresult of their findings. In addition, each centre is to be required to provide accurate and truthful information to the regional government under whose jurisdiction they fall, while the governments are empowered to close down, take over or re-organize the management of the homes (the latter only in publicly owned facilities) as well as to create new ones.
The information required includes details of staffing levels and any lack of ability to ensure the adequate removal of dead bodies.
Meanwhile, since last Thursday orders have been in place for residences of this kind to separate residents into four groups: those known to have contracted Covid-19, those presenting symptoms, those who have been in close contact with the above two groups and those clear of infection. This reflects the extent to which holes for the elderly have become hotbeds for the coronavirus, and the Ministry of Health reports that due to the de-centralization of the sector there are no comprehensive data available regarding the number of residents infected or the number of fatalities.
Amid all of these developments, the UME continues to inspect and disinfect residences and military authorities have not confirmed how many residents have been found deceased in their beds or in how many centres they were found. On Tuesday the armed forces were scheduled to visit 92 residences, brining the total so far up to 310.
Images: the UME disinfecting various establishments on Tuesday
Remember: LOCKDOWN MEANS LOCKDOWN. STAY AT HOME. STAY SAFE AND DO YOUR BIT TO REDUCE THE SPREAD OF CORONAVIRUS.
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Our local area groups are as follows. These are designed to filter locally specific information and may be used by clubs, charities, any of the businesses who work with us to ensure information is available to residents in English and for those living in the specific areas. They are not buy and sell groups, do not accept any bickering or argumentative so and so's, are not "open for any old rubbish" pages, and are not trying to compete with your local comunity groups, they are specifically for sharing good, relevant local information and we hope you will use them for that during this difficult time.
Around Mazarrón news, events and local info: Click to join
Mazarrón, Fuente Álamo, Águilas, Lorca, Totana, Puerto Lumbreras, Camposol, Alhama de Murcia. Click to join (all within a half hour drive of each other)
Mar Menor news, events and local info. Click to join (this includes all the Mar Menor municipalities and Cartagena)
North-west Murcia: Bullas, Mula, Cehegin, Caravaca, Cieza, Calasparra, Jumilla, Moratalla info. Click to join
What to do if you are in the Region of Murcia and believe you may have contracted the virus
The regional government has set up a special helpline to supply information to members of the public (900 121212), and also urges people to call the 112 emergency services line if they suspect that they may have contracted the virus rather than going straight to hospital or to a medical centre. Medical staff will be sent to your home to test for the virus.
The Region’s public hospitals have limited the number of visitors to just one per patient.
Sensible precautions
The advice being issued to members of the public by medical authorities all over the world coincides on the following points:
- Wash hands frequently with either soap and water or a sanitiser gel
- Catch coughs and sneezes with disposable tissues – and throw the tissues away immediately after use before immediately washing your hands!
- If you don’t have a tissue, use your sleeve – and wash the item of clothing used at the next opportunity
- AVOID touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands
- AVOID close contact with people who are unwell
- Don´t panic!
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