A Harrogate man who lives in a care home has spoken out against rules telling residents not to go outside and to self isolate for two weeks if they do.
Nick Moxon, 32, has cerebral palsy and is a resident at Disability Action Yorkshire‘s care home on Claro Road. He was shocked, like others in the home, to learn of the new guidance.
Residents like Mr Moxon have the backing of Jackie Snape, chief executive of Disability Action Yorkshire, the Rt Revd Dr Helen-Ann Hartley, Bishop of Ripon, and Richard Webb, director of health and adult services at North Yorkshire County Council. All three have spoken out against the guidance.
While the debate continues, care home residents like Mr Moxon see others enjoying the more relaxed lockdown rules and are left feeling bewildered.
Read more:
- Bishop of Ripon has ‘grave concerns’ over care home isolation
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Mr Moxon, like all residents at his care home, has had both doses of the coronavirus vaccine. He told the Stray Ferret:
“When I first found out what the rules were I shared it with my family and friends, they cannot understand it either.
“If you fly to the UK you just have to isolate for 10 days. If you live in supported living these rules don’t apply. It is crazy. We just want to be treated like everyone else.
“But we are being treated like lesser beings. We are trapped in here like prisoners. Better than most, we understand the risks of coronavirus.
“Before the pandemic we were all extremely sociable. We understood over the last year but now we have had the vaccine and lockdown is easing, we just want to get our lives back.”
The more restrictive guidance for care homes was issued shortly after restrictions eased on the hospitality sector last week and non-essential shops were allowed to reopen.
Ms Snape, who has written to Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones about the issue, previously said:
“For the people that live at 34 Claro Road this is devastating. They are young people who just want to have the same freedoms as everyone else.
“They are seeing pictures of groups enjoying a beer outside the pub and they are being told they can’t even go for a walk around the block.”
