Due to significant reductions in COVID-19 transmissions and infections and high vaccination rates within the nursing home population; Governor Laura Kelly and Kansas Department of Aging and Disability Services Secretary Laura Howard announced revised recommendations from the Federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to expand nursing home visitation.
According to a Memorandum issued on March 10th by CMS, visitation can resume based on a facility’s structure and resident needs’ (i.e. in residents’ rooms, dedicated visitation spaces, and outdoors). They continue emphasize the importance of prevention practices.
Despite millions of vaccinations being in administered to nursing home residents and staff, outdoor visitation is preferred–even when residents and visitors are fully vaccinated.
CMS added that facilities could still allow indoor visitation, but it should be limited in circumstances where there is a high risk of COVID-19 transmission–i.e. if less than 70% of residents/staff are fully vaccinated and a county’s COVID-19 positivity rate is more than 10%. Other scenarios where visitation should be limited include residents with confirmed COVID-19 infections or residents in quarantine (whether vaccinated or unvaccinated).
Kelly said this “…is another step towards our return to normalcy.” She encouraged Kansas residents to continue to follow basic health recommendations (masks, social distancing, hygiene), in addition to receiving the vaccine when their turn arrives.
