Charles Darmanin felt “reborn again” on Thursday morning when he was finally allowed out of the residential home where he lives after having been kept under indefinite quarantine because of COVID-19 since New Year’s Eve.

Darmanin ended his hunger strike on Wednesday after management at the Bormla home assured him that he, and other residents, who were not being allowed out of the home despite testing negative to COVID-19, would be let out in the morning.

“I feel reborn again. This morning when I woke up I could go and have a coffee with some friends in the cafe just outside the home. This home has no gardens. Being outside makes a big difference. I feel free,” said Darmanin.

Charles Darmanin with a friend outside the care home.

On Tuesday, Times of Malta reported how Darmanin, 69, had gone on hunger strike, and refused his medication, in protest at the “unfair situation” being experienced in some care homes where residents are placed on indefinite quarantine because of COVID.

He said he had been placed in quarantine since New Year’s Eve after a resident, whose room was on the same floor as his, tested positive for the virus. He was instructed to go into quarantine despite having no contact with the person. Once the quarantine period was up, and Darmanin tested negative, he was still not being allowed to leave the home and told to isolate.

He described this “endless quarantine” as “abusive” especially since staff and management of the home were coming and leaving as they pleased.

What about the staff?

On Wednesday, Darmanin was visited by representatives of the home's managment who assured him that he, and other residents, would be allowed out.

He was one of many elderly people in care homes who are being forced to quarantine in their rooms for weeks, even if they do not carry the virus, leading relatives to question the necessity of this health measure and express concern about its impact on their mental health. Some are still stuck inside.

The irony, however, is that cases of COVID were identified after restrictions were put in place, indicating that staff were mostly likely the carriers.

Many are asking why the measures are being imposed on elderly and not on staff.

One man, who preferred to remain anonymous to protect his mother who lives in a care home, raised his concerns: 

"My mother is very depressed. She has repeatedly tested negative but as she's bang in the middle of positive cases, she has to isolate. That I can accept. The irony, however, is that cases of COVID were identified after restrictions were put in place, indicating that staff were mostly likely the carriers.

"What is worrying is that if those who are vaccinated, are asymptomatic and are carriers, anyone the elderly come into contact with are at risk of infection. So what happens then, will residents be forced to isolate in perpetuity?"

Unjust restrictions to be investigated 

When the pandemic hit Malta in March 2020, elderly homes shut their doors and residents were not allowed to leave their rooms or receive visitors for long months. Things improved at the beginning of 2021, when, following the vaccine roll-out, residents were allowed out of their rooms, visits started to resume and, as from June, residents were finally allowed out of care homes.

When the numbers started rising against in December, various restrictive measures came into place for the population. On announcing them, Health Minister Chris Fearne specified that elderly homes would not be affected by the measures, given that most had received the booster dose.

But individual homes introduced their own restrictions due to the surge in cases, with visits by appointment and various quarantine measures in place.

CareMalta Group, which operates nine homes for the elderly, is caring for positive residents within its homes. This meant “specific areas and bubbles were completely isolated in quarantine”.

Visitors were stopped from entering residents' room but that has been relaxed and they may now enter. They must, however, visit by appointment to avoid congestion, although visiting times have not changed.

Meanwhile the Social Care Standards Authority (SCSA) within the Ministry for Senior Citizens and Active Ageing said it provided a set of guidelines to be adhered to in case of COVID-19 restrictions.

“SCSA ensures that these measures are being implemented by the service providers through regular inspection visits. Any further requests by the care homes to introduce additional measures due to positive COVID-19 cases are scrutinised by SCSA and decisions are taken in line with public health policies. Care homes not adhering with SCSA guidelines are to take responsibility for their actions. Such reports are investigated by SCSA," a spokesperson said.