Government, on the advice of the relevant Health Care Professionals and in conjunction with the Director of Public Health, will be implementing further measures to ensure the protection of residents within the facilities of the Elderly Residential Services (ERS).

As part of these measures, residents from the two ERS wards, John Cochrane and Calpe Wards will be temporarily relocated to other Elderly Residential facilities, within Bella Vista and Mount Alvernia, which have been specially adapted to cater for their needs.

This relocation aims to reduce the potential exposure of these residents to COVID-19 by minimising their exposure to a hospital environment.

Residents will be relocated sensitively in two phases. 25 Residents will be relocated to Bella Vista early next week and this will be followed shortly by a further 25 residents being relocated to Mount Alvernia within the next coming weeks.

These temporary measures will also allow the conversion of John Cochrane and Calpe Wards for the provision of acute medical care within St Bernard’s Hospital.

'We have asked all residents and their families to support the Government and ERS in these difficult times and to understand that our priority is the safety of all our frail and elderly residents.'

The Minister for Health and Care said, “We are acting upon the advice of our health care professionals working within Civil Contingencies and Public Health. These measures are in the best interests of elderly residents in order to safeguard them keeping the most vulnerable within our community safe.”