Syracuse, N.Y. — Nursing home residents can now have visitors at all times, even when there is a Covid-19 outbreak in their facility, under new federal guidelines.
Nearly all nursing home visits were banned in March of 2020 to prevent visitors from infecting vulnerable residents with Covid-19.
The restrictions were subsequently eased, but nursing homes still had to suspend visitation every time a resident tested positive for Covid-19.
Now nearly all the visitation restrictions have been lifted under revised guidelines issued Wednesday by the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, or CMS for short.
“Visitation is now allowed for all residents at all times,” the agency said in a memo.
CMS said physical separation from family and other loved ones took a physical and emotional toll on nursing home residents. “Residents may feel socially isolated, leading to increased risk for depression, anxiety and expressions of distress,” the memo said.
Nursing home residents have accounted for about one-third of Covid deaths nationwide.
Covid outbreaks in nursing homes have significantly decreased now that most residents and staff are vaccinated. The national average number of nursing home resident Covid cases dropped from 20,000 a week in January to about 5,100 a week in September, according to CMS.
Under these latest guidelines, nursing homes can no longer limit the frequency and length of visits, the number of visitors or require advance scheduling of visits.
CMS said while it is safer for visitors not to enter nursing homes when there are Covid-19 outbreaks in the facilities, they cannot be barred.
“Visitors should be made aware of the potential risk of visiting during an outbreak investigation and adhere to the core principles of infection prevention,” the agency said.
The agency said nursing homes and visitors should still follow these infection control precautions:
- Visitors who test positive for or have symptoms of Covid-19 should not be allowed in nursing homes.
- Visitors should wear masks and stay at least six feet away from others in nursing homes.
CMS is encouraging, but not requiring, nursing homes in areas with substantial or high levels of Covid transmission to offer Covid testing to visitors. Facilities that do not offer testing should encourage visitors to get tested in their own before coming to the nursing home.
New York state health officials are not criticizing the change. In an email, the state Health Department said:
“… the best way to protect our loved ones and ensure we can visit them in a nursing home is to get vaccinated -- and get a booster if you are already vaccinated -- and wear a mask.”
James T. Mulder covers health and higher education. Have a news tip? Contact him at (315) 470-2245 or jmulder@syracuse.com
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