Health chiefs have declared a Covid-19 outbreak at a north-east care home, where 12 residents died, over.
An incident management team (IMT) was deployed in the wake of the outbreak at Inchmarlo House Care Home near Banchory last month.
A spokeswoman for the IMT said: “The outbreak at Inchmarlo has now been declared over and the IMT has been stood down.
“Colleagues from the Aberdeenshire Health and Social Care Partnership will continue to work with the home’s owners and management team through the work of the Oversight Group.”
The final number of detected cases of Covid-19 associated with the outbreak at Inchmarlo stands at 108.
A statement from the home reads: “We would like to thank all the organisations, with whom we have been working closely in recent weeks, for their ongoing support and advice.
“We continue to collaborate with the Aberdeenshire Health and Social Care Partnership, and we have been deeply grateful for the support our public sector colleagues have given to us during these difficult times.”
A visit from the Care Inspectorate criticised the home for a lack of engagement, with residents left isolated in their bedrooms, going long periods without any “meaningful” activities or regular interactions.
Inchmarlo was delivered a “weak” rating by inspectors – the equivalent to two points out of six – for their level of care and support amid the pandemic.
The care home added: “The Care Inspectorate revisited us last week and we are extremely pleased with their initial feedback that reflects the hard work and commitment of the Inchmarlo House Care Home team who are now back at work.
“In the meantime, we continue our journey of healing and reassert our long-standing commitment towards continuous and sustainable improvements to ensure the health and wellbeing of our residents and staff.
“We are very grateful to residents, Inchmarlo homeowners, staff, families, friends and the local community for their support and are deeply touched by the many expressions of kindness during these difficult times.
“As we look forward we hold in our thoughts and hearts those families who have lost loved ones, and our deepest sympathies remain with them.”
The containment of the outbreak comes as cases in the north-east rose by 121 today as Scotland exceeded the 150,000 mark for those diagnosed with Covid-19.