BUFFALO, N.Y. (WBEN) – Visitation can return for all nursing homes in the state, Governor Andrew Cuomo's office announced Thursday evening.
Unvaccinated residents in areas of high community spread and lower vaccination rates still cannot visit a nursing home. Anyone who is confirmed to have COVID-19 or those who are in isolation or quarantine is also not allowed to visit nursing homes. New York defines areas of high community spread as a region where the positive test rate is greater than 10% and less than 70% of residents in the facility are fully vaccinated.
You can view the full guidance here
"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," Governor 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. Now is an appropriate time to take the next step and safely reconnect this community with their families."
The new guidance from the governor's office replaces the February 23 mandate which required a facility to be COVID free for 14 days.
