The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has updated their guidelines for visitation in nursing homes, accounting for vaccination efforts. Restrictions on visitation have been eased, generally allowing most indoor and outdoor visitation.
· Screening of all who enter the facility for signs and symptoms of COVID-19 remain, including those who have had close contact with someone infected by COVID-19 in the prior 14 days of their visit, even if visitor has been vaccinated.
· Outdoor visitation is still preferred even if both the visitor and the resident have been vaccinated against COVID-19.
· Indoor visitation should be limited when:
- Residents that have not been vaccinated, if the nursing home’s COVID county positivity rate is greater than 10% and less than 70% of the residents are fully vaccinated.
- Residents with a COVID-19 infection, even if they have been vaccinated.
- Residents in quarantine, even if they have been vaccinated.
· CMS recognizes the difficulties that arise with isolation and separation, thus, if the resident is fully vaccinated, they can choose to have close contact with their loved ones, as long as they wear a face mask and wash their hands before and after the interaction.
· Compassionate care visits should be always allowed, regardless of the resident’s vaccination status, the county’s positivity rate, or if there is an outbreak.
Click here to view the full list of visitation guidelines.