New visitation guidelines for Nursing Homes were released on March 10th by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), in association with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). These changes have been effective immediately and will allow residents to have less regulated visits.
The previous guidelines were issued almost six months ago and allowed Nursing Homes’ visits only when a facility had not had new outbreaks of COVID-19 for at least 14 days, and the community positivity rate was less than 10%.
Under the new regulations published by the CMS, indoor and outdoor visits are allowed for all residents. Visitation is permitted regardless of vaccination status, and compassionate care visits are permitted at all times, regardless of vaccination status, outbreaks in the facility, or the county’s positivity rate.
Besides, if a resident is fully vaccinated, they can choose to have close contact (including touch) with their visitor while wearing a well-fitting mask and performing hand hygiene. All infection prevention protocols remain in place and must be followed at all times.
Limitations on visitation may occur only if the county’s COVID-19 positivity rate is greater than 10% and less than 70% of residents in the facility are fully vaccinated. Or for residents with COVID-19 or in quarantine, regardless of vaccination status, until they have met the criteria to discontinue precautions.
You can read all the changes made to the previous ordinance and the regulations that still apply here. If you have any questions or need guidance understanding the new guidelines, we are here to help you and support you in whatever you need. Call us at 866.999.2712
