Picketers outside Willoughby nursing home want Ohio governor to let loved ones visit

WILLOUGHBY, Ohio (WOIO) - The most vulnerable residents of nursing home and long-term care facilities represent more than 70% of Ohio’s COVID-19 deaths.

Petitions have circulated online to let loved ones visit nursing homes, despite the risk.

On Thursday morning, Breckenridge Village in Willoughby saw a small protest.

“It’s not fair,” says Darlene Dryer, who hasn’t seen her 95-year-old mother in more than three months. “The people that are dying have no voice.”

“We’re missing her and she’s missing us,” says Edmund Heser, Dryer’s brother.

The group calls for the governor to use a test to clear family to visit loved ones

“At the end of the day, we want what’s best for the residents and best for the staff,” says Dean Palombaro, Executive Director of Breckenridge Village. “We just got about twenty of these (tablets) delivered so right now, it’s a small victory.”

Palombaro says the nursing home needs to follow the governor’s orders and will allow family back in when the restrictions gets lifted.

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