The PPE is only part of the problem. A couple of decades of budget cuts meant elderly care has been suffering lately. Staff is stretched extremely thin and lots of temporary staff means you can have some staff that works in 4-5 elderly homes in a short period of time. No resources to isolate those returning from hospital after having the disease. So they basically end up back in the same home, where they are cared for by that staff that works with uninfected patients and in several other homes.

The messaging from the authorities was clear: don't do that. Protect the elderly. The mistake was believing that saying it would magically make it happen, when there is no money, no training, no equipment.