RELATIVES can now visit residents at Shinfield View Care Home after almost 100 people contracted Covid-19 during a deadly outbreak.

Over the last month, 50 members of staff and 48 residents have tested positive at the £1,800-a-week luxury care home in Shinfield, which is run by Berkley Care Group.

Six residents have died and five of those deaths are Covid-related. Two of the residents who died were receiving end-of-life care before the outbreak.

Berkley Care Group says it is running a “rigorous testing programme” and every resident who tests positive is being isolated and “barrier nursed” for 14 days.

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After that two-week period and a negative test, they can receive visits from family members.

Ten residents still have the virus, but the care homes says nine have mild symptoms and one is asymptomatic.

Forty-eight members of staff that tested positive have returned to work after self-isolating, while the other two are shielding.

Berkley Care Group has been working with Public Health England, Berkshire West Clinical Commissioning Group and Wokingham Borough Council to contain the outbreak and investigate the cause.

Andrew Winstanley, chief executive of Berkley Care Group, said: “It is very good news indeed that we can again welcome family visits to Shinfield View and have the facilities via the well-managed process of our lodges to do this.

“We fully understand just how much it means to both our residents and their families to be reunited and we look forward to the day that all our residents can receive visitors.

“Naturally, we shall continue our stringent testing regime and strict infection protocol.

“I would like to pay tribute at this time to the kindness, compassion and great understanding of not only our residents, but their families and friends.

“We have been truly humbled by their warm words and best wishes.”

The government says relatives can visit residents during and after the national lockdown if the care home has set up visiting pods or substantial screens to reduce the risk of transmission.