A Lisnaskea care home is the latest place to declare a Covid-19 outbreak among its residents and staff.

Barnlee Residential Home confirmed there was a Covid outbreak in the home; however, due to confidentiality reasons, they would not disclose how many people were actually affected.

This latest outbreak comes as another care home, The Millcroft, has seen six of its residents die of Covid-19, while three remain in hospital. Some 21 residents have tested positive, along with 12 members of staff.

In a statement to this newspaper, a spokesperson for Barnlee said: “Having remained Covid-free for the past eight months from the beginning of the pandemic, we confirm that we have a Covid-19 outbreak in Barnlee affecting both residents and staff.

“We are working with the Western Health and Social Care Trust and we are following all the guidelines and recommendations provided by the Public Health Agency and the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA).

“Our primary focus is the health, well-being and recovery of our residents and staff. We continue to maintain rigorous infection prevention and control measures to ensure their health and safety.

“The management and staff team remains committed to delivering the best possible care to our residents at this very challenging time. Our hope is that both residents and staff infected make a full recovery.”

A spokesperson for the RQIA said: “The safety and wellbeing of all those living in care homes in Northern Ireland is of paramount importance to RQIA, and during this time, we continue to monitor these services through our ongoing regulatory activities.”

The PHA would not comment on individual care home outbreaks.