5:58 p.m. ET, March 10, 2021
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services offers revised visitation recommendations for nursing homes
From CNN's Lauren Mascarenhas
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services offered recommendations for nursing homes to safely expand visitation during the coronavirus pandemic Wednesday.
The new guidance, created in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, allows for indoor visitation, regardless of the vaccination status of the resident or visitor.
There are some exceptions: CMS says visitation may need to be limited for residents with a confirmed case of Covid-19, residents in quarantine, and unvaccinated residents living in facilities where less than 70% of residents are vaccinated and counties with a positivity rate greater than 10%.
The guidance allows for “compassionate care” visits for all residents who are experiencing a significant decline in health or change in circumstances, regardless of vaccination status or virus transmission levels.
If there is a coronavirus outbreak in a nursing home, CMS says visitation can continue as long as the outbreak is contained to a single unit or separate area of the facility.
“CMS recognizes the psychological, emotional and physical toll that prolonged isolation and separation from family have taken on nursing home residents, and their families,” CMS Chief Medical Officer Dr. Lee Fleisher said in a statement.