NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- New York state will no longer restrict guests from visiting nursing homes that have not been COVID-19-free for 14 days, but will still bar visitors under some circumstances, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Thursday.
All nursing home residents will be allowed to receive visitors unless they have COVID-19; are in isolation or quarantine; or are unvaccinated and in an area of "high community spread and lower resident vaccination rates," Cuomo said in a press release Thursday afternoon.
The state's new guidance aligns with the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' recommendations and "takes effect immediately," the release said.
Up until Thursday afternoon, only long-term care facilities that had been COVID-19-free for 14 days could accept visitors, the release noted.
"From the very beginning, we've used science and data to find the appropriate balance between protecting our most vulnerable populations in nursing homes and the importance of allowing safe contact with their loved ones," Cuomo said in a statement.
"We now have three effective vaccines that are leading to significant decreases in long term care COVID cases and a robust staff testing system to limit community spread from entering a facility," he added. "Now is an appropriate time to take the next step and safely reconnect this community with their families."
