Federal Authorities Urging Governors To Use “Extreme Caution” When Reopening Nursing Homes
- May 19, 2020
The Washington Post (5/18, Goldstein, Sacchetti) reports that on Monday, the Trump Administration “issued guidelines that urge caution in reopening the nation’s nursing homes, recommending that the facilities – battered by the novel coronavirus – relax restrictions more slowly than the communities around them.” The Post adds, “The guidelines urge state and local officials to refrain from allowing virtually all visitors into nursing homes or other senior care facilities until several conditions are met,” and “include making sure a nursing home has no new cases of covid-19...for four weeks.” CMS Administrator Seema Verma “said the recommendations were developed in consultation with” Assistant Secretary for Health Adm. Brett Giroir and Coronavirus Response Coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx.
The AP (5/18, Choi) reports the guidelines “noted that some homes may have to wait even longer than 28 days from the last negative test if they have had problems with infection controls, staffing or other issues.”
Moreover, Bloomberg Law (5/18, Pugh, Subscription Publication) reports the CMS “wants all nursing home staff to be screened each day for respiratory symptoms and to be tested each week.” In addition, the agency “required nursing homes to provide the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention with information each week on Covid-19 infections and deaths among staff and visitors.”