Residents of Ontario's long-term care homes begged on Tuesday to be allowed outside, saying anti-pandemic restrictions that have confined them indoors for more than a year make no sense given almost all have now been vaccinated.
Some compared their situations to solitary confinement, and urged the provincial government to act on what they called a gross violation of their basic human rights.
Chuck Ferkranus, a resident of a home in Newmarket, Ont., said no one in the building has COVID-19 and yet residents are stuck in their rooms. Ferkranus, who challenged those in authority to live as he does for even a week, said residents are being treated worse than criminals.
“We did nothing wrong; we're not guilty of any crime,” he said. “If vaccinations don't end the rules, if no one having COVID doesn't end the restrictions, then what does it take before this comes to an end?”
Many of an estimated 150,000 nursing home residents have been confined to their rooms or floors for as long as 15 months now, cut off from most relatives as well as the outdoors. Activists blame extreme staffing shortages and operators who prioritize corporate needs ahead of the welfare of residents.