Coronavirus: Family calls for Sheffield care home to create bubble
BBCThe family of a 91-year-old man are urging his wife's care home to allow them to create a bubble so he can visit her.
Michael Grantham uses a wheelchair and needs help to visit Marjorie, 89, at Holmwood Care Home in Sheffield.
He cannot visit as the home introduced a Covid policy allowing only a "single constant visitor" for each of their residents on 10 August.
The home said its policy was designed to "mitigate the risk of the virus".
Previously, families were allowed to carry out window visits to see relatives which meant Mr Grantham could be accompanied.
'Cruel and harsh'
The government guidelines, announced on the 22 July, allow care homes to design their own policy, but recommend limiting visitors to one person per resident.
Mrs Grantham's home later introduced its policy but her family argue her husband's mobility problems means he cannot go alone to visit his wife, who has dementia.
His step daughter Angela O'Brien has called on the home to allow family bubble visits instead.
"The level of care my mum has received is brilliant but it's just the implementation of the guidelines that we have issue with," she said.
"The guidelines state wherever possible, and in our circumstances it isn't possible for him to go alone.
"It just seems a really cruel and harsh decision."
Mr Grantham, who has been married to Marjorie for 33 years, said he missed his wife and felt like they had "lost a connection".
"I'm very sad about it. I'm trying to compensate by speaking to her on the telephone or video link but it's not the same."
Mr Sykes said his mother had lost weight and become very down.
"She asks are we coming to see her... because of her dementia it's difficult for her to take it what's happening."
In a statement, the home said: "We understand that some families may find this upsetting, but as the virus remains a threat to our communities we have to remain vigilant to mitigate the risk of transmission."
