Colorado assisted living and other long-term care facilities will resume indoor visitation this week for the first time in more than five months if the state’s COVID-19 cases stay low and family members agree to wear masks and socially distance.
Outdoor visitation resumed in June, with indoor visitation limited to end-of-life situations.
Under the draft guidelines released last week by Gov. Jared Polis, facilities will not be required to offer indoor visits and could set stricter rules. Those that opt for indoor visits will be required to test all residents and staff members as well as document that anyone who refused a test has not shown symptoms for 28 days. All staff members will be tested weekly. The guidelines also contain personal protective equipment and staffing level requirements.
Visitors will have to make an appointment, submit to screenings and wear masks, but they will not have to take COVID-19 tests in counties with fewer than 25 cases per 100,000 people. In counties with higher infection rates, visitors will be required to produce negative tests within 24 hours of their visits. Antibody test results will not qualify as proof of immunity.
New residents will have to self-quarantine for 14 days before receiving visitors, and no one under 18 will be allowed to visit.
Counties with more than 175 cases per 100,000 people will not be eligible for indoor visitation. Indoor visits also will stop if a facility has a COVID-19 or other infectious disease outbreak, such as flu or norovirus.
