Parents and parents-to-be, rejoice – expectant mothers who are COVID-19 positive will be allowed to have one other person with them in the ward during childbirth.

This means that mothers will no longer need to give birth by themselves. And that’s not all, with parents who are quarantining also being allowed to accompany their partner and remain in the same room during childbirth as long as they present no COVID-19 symptoms.

In this case, couples are urged to let authorities know beforehand by contacting [email protected] and getting the requisite permission. 

The announcement was made by Health Minister Chris Fearne today during a visit to a St Vincent de Paule home.

One of the most contentious measures rolled out to contain COVID-19 during the height of the pandemic was not allowing fathers and partners to be near their partners as they gave birth, leading to mothers giving birth all alone. Today’s announcement will be welcome news to parents who have long been calling for a change in the law.