NYS Department of Health (DOH) now permits visiting at assisted living communities during the Covid-19 pandemic, even if residents or staff have tested positive. While this news is certainly welcome, it is important to note that although cases of Covid-19 have fallen, there continue to be occasional cases on Long Island, where many of our staff and visitors live, so occasional positive results are unfortunately not unexpected. Any staff member who tests positive is required to isolate at home and must be free of symptoms before returning to work. Any resident who tests positive will be quarantined for 10 days, per the current NYS DOH guidelines, and any resident who had direct exposure to this resident will be tested, and the family notified.
Visitors to our community must be symptom-free, screened, wear a mask and assure appropriate social distancing.