NEW JERSEY – The stringent COVID-19 restrictions at long-term care facilities were lessened by the New Jersey Department of Health to accommodate more visitation, enable group activities and provide more services for residents.
The directives are in sync with updated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services, officials said.
“With cases in New Jersey on the decline, vaccinations increasing and a reduction in outbreaks at these facilities, the Department is taking steps to lessen restrictions for vaccinated residents and expanded services to residents in these facilities,” Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said. “Our hope is that resuming these activities will help support the mental and physical well-being of residents.”
If both the visitor and the resident are fully vaccinated, residents and their visitors may choose to have close contact including touching and removing their facemasks if they are alone in the resident’s room or the designated visitation room.
Fully vaccinated residents have the option to have close contact including touching with their unvaccinated visitor, however they both must wear a well-fitting face mask.
Guidance on communal activities and dining for residents has also been updated by the Department for residents that are fully vaccinated. If all residents participating in the group activity or communal dining are fully vaccinated, they are now allowed to participate without physical distancing and without wearing a mask during the activity.
Routine testing of residents and staff is required by the Department in order to prevent the coronavirus from entering and spreading within facilities. However, fully vaccinated staff are no longer required to be routinely tested, except that facilities may elect to continue routine testing of staff.
Staff may need to undergo testing if there is an outbreak investigation at the facility or if they are experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms.
The NJDOH is encouraging staff and residents to get vaccinated by taking advantage of the current pharmacy partnerships delivering vaccines to nursing homes. “Many workers in our long-term care facilities have chosen to be vaccinated to protect themselves, their families, their co-workers and the residents in their care,” Andy Aronson, President NJ Health Care Association said.
Barbers, hair stylist and other non-essential personnel are permitted to enter only if the personnel are screened before entry, and the facility has a protocol for services to be delivered safely. Those protocols must include infection prevention and control, physical distancing, hand hygiene, cleaning between clients and use of a well-fitting face mask. Staff testing requirements apply to these individuals.
Laurie Facciarossa Brewer, the NJ Long-Term Care Ombudsman said, “these are incredibly welcome changes and they reflect the reality that most residents of long-term care are fully vaccinated. Having the ability to participate in communal activities and meals with their peers is something that residents tell us that they have desperately missed.”
“In addition, you cannot underestimate how important it is to residents of long-term care facilities to have access to hair dressers and barbers. Everyone wants to look their best. This is great news,” she added.
