'The first time I was allowed to hug my mum in 18 months was when she was in her coffin'
manchestereveningnews.co.ukIn September 2021, Lynne Hughes was finally able to hug her mum for the first time in nearly two years after seeing her through panes of glass, across lawns and behind acrylic screens in sealed pods.
Tragically, for that final hug Lynne was leaning over mum Doreen's coffin. Care home resident Doreen Sutton, 91, had died after being rushed to hospital following a fall.
Her death had been unexpected so her family were not with her. READ MORE: The forgotten care home residents living with dementia, starved of family contact From Monday, care home residents will be able to receive 'unlimited' visitors as the restrictions to tackle the Omicron variant are eased by the Department of Health.
For many families, this will no doubt be a time of celebration. But for those who have lost their loved ones it has prompted sadness and anger as they reflect on a pandemic, and a Government response, which left them unable to hug their relatives as their hard-working carers, for many months, struggled to find PPE, access testing or ascertain whether patients coming from hospital had tested positive for Covid.
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