Cheshire East Council is urging visiting relatives to work with care home staff to help protect vulnerable residents.

Some care homes in the borough remain closed to visitors so people have been asked to check with the home first.

The government has recently updated guidance for visits to care homes and this is supported by locally-developed advice for relatives visiting loved ones.

Both national and local guidance recognises that each care home is unique in its layout, space and capacity for safe, distanced meetings between visitors and residents and visitors and staff.

Despite the availability of new lateral flow tests, which can give an early indication of a positive test for Covid-19, not all care homes have received stocks from national suppliers to carry these out.

Lateral flow tests will become available on a phased basis. Meanwhile, the council, and its health sector partners are urging families to be "patient" and follow the instructions from care home managers to put on personal protective equipment and maintain social distancing.

Councillor Laura Jeuda, Cheshire East Council cabinet member for adult social care and health, said: "We understand how important it is for family members to finally be able to visit their loved ones in care homes.

"And, we recognise that with the festive season upon us, visiting a loved one in a care home at this difficult time, can place additional emotional pressures on relatives.

"However, the virus is still out there, and care home managers must do all they can to minimise the risk of infection to other elderly and vulnerable residents. That is why we are asking families to respect the rules of individual care homes and to stick to the visiting protocols set out by their care home manager."

The council says it will work with the care sector, Cheshire Clinical Commissioning Group and Cheshire and Wirral Partnership's infection prevention and control team, to help care home managers to relax visiting restrictions only as and when it is safe to do so.