Months after the state-level home stay order included a ban on visitors to long-term care facilities, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services lifted that restriction just a little for some.
Beginning June 26, residents of a facility with seven or more beds where there are no current and reported cases of the new coronavirus can receive visitors, outdoors and at a distance of six feet or more.
The state detailed the requirements for facilities, residents and visitors in an updated guide issued on Friday afternoon.
The state updates coronavirus data weekly for “congregational living settings,” which include nursing homes, residential care facilities, and correctional facilities. As of June 26, 8,605 confirmed cases of the virus and 767 deaths (out of 1,362 total) were recorded at those facilities. Eighty percent of those who died of coronavirus in North Carolina were over the age of 65.
COVID-19 Outbreaks in North Carolina Long Term Care Facilities
The facilities must provide an outdoor meeting space that can be disinfected between uses and must protect visitors upon arrival. Both residents and visitors must cover their faces during the visit.
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