Care homes in Merseyside have instructed family and friends to 'minimise' visits to residents due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Barchester Care Homes, which runs more than 200 care homes in the UK and has more than 11,000 residents, sent a letter to residents, patients and visitors saying "as a preventative measure, we are asking visitors, including family members and friends, to stop routinely visiting our care homes and hospitals until further notice".
The company has care homes in Southport, Warrington and Wirral.
They added: "We have not taken this decision lightly and appreciate that this may cause some discomfort, but feel this is a necessary step to take."
The letter also said "external entertainment" had been cancelled and relatives must speak to the general manager of each home before making "non-routine visits". The letter said if a case was confirmed in a care home, then all visits would stop.
However, a spokeswoman for the firm later said the language had now been "clarified" and the firm meant visits should be "minimised".
A statement said: "We would like to reassure residents and families across all of our care homes that we are fully adhering to guidelines from Public Health England with regards to coronavirus.
"In aligning with this, we have asked that friends and relatives minimise their visits to residents in our homes. Some of our residents are vulnerable to the virus and we therefore need to work together to limit the risk.
"We are working hard to ensure residents and families are able to contact each other through other means."
