Medical Center Convalescent Hospital

Any visitor entering the facility, regardless of their vaccination status, must adhere to the following:

• All visitors must be educated to screen themselves prior to entry and be made aware of recommended actions to prevent transmission to others if they have

COVID-19 symptoms and/or exposure within the prior 14 days to another person with COVID-19; if a visitor has COVID-19 symptoms or has been in close contact with a confirmed positive case, they must reschedule their visit, regardless of their vaccination status. CDC recommends facilities post signs at entrances, and send emails to families and visitors with COVID-19 screening guidance.

• All visitors must wear a well-fitting face mask with good filtration (N95, KF94, KN95, or surgical masks are preferred over cloth face coverings) and perform hand hygiene upon entry and in all common areas in the facility;
• If personal protective equipment (PPE) is required for contact with the resident due to COVID-19 positive isolation status (including fully vaccinated visitors), it must be donned and doffed according to instruction by HCP.
• Facilities should limit visitor movement in the facility, regardless of the visitor’s vaccination status; for example, visitors should not walk around the hallways of the facility and should go directly to and from the resident’s room or designated visitation area.

Visitors who have tested positive for COVID-19 should not be permitted to visit or should be asked to leave if they are still within their isolation period (within 10 days of their positive test). Under such circumstances, facilities must offer alternatives for remote (Skype, etc.) or telephone visitation. Staff should provide monitoring for those who may have difficulty adhering to core principles, such as children.

Indoor, In-Room and Large Communal Space Visitation Requirements

MCCH shall allow indoor in-room visitation for:

• All residents regardless of vaccination or COVID-19 status.

Indoor in-room visitation shall meet the following conditions:

• Indoor visits must be conducted with both the resident and visitor wearing a well-fitting face mask. Regardless of vaccination status, the resident and visitor  do not need to physically distance and can include physical contact (e.g., hugs, holding hands) but must wear a well-fitting face mask while in the resident’s room unless eating or drinking.
• Visits for residents who share a room should be conducted in a separate indoor space or with the roommate not present in the room (if possible), regardless of the roommate’s vaccination status.
• Visitors should be provided personal protective equipment (gloves, gown, eye protection and N95 respirator) and instructed in a N95 respirator seal check for visitation of residents in isolation areas.

MMCH shall also accommodate visitation in large communal indoor spaces for residents who are not in isolation:

Indoor spaces used for visitation such as a lobby, cafeteria, activity room, physical therapy rooms, etc. should be arranged to avoid crowding among visitor-resident groups. Facilities should assess the maximum number of resident-visitor groups that can be accommodated while avoiding crowding in communal indoor spaces designated for visitation; when the maximum is reached, visits will need to be conducted in the resident’s room (if appropriate) or outdoors (preferably).

During indoor large communal space visits between residents and visitors, regardless of vaccination status, both the resident and visitor must always wear a well-fitting face mask unless eating or drinking while in designated spaces for visitation. These visits may be conducted without physical distancing and include physical contact (e.g., hugs, holding hands).

Continuing Outdoor Visitation Requirements

MCCH will continue to allow outdoor visitation options for all residents not in isolation, regardless of vaccination status.

Outdoor visits between residents and all visitors do not need to be conducted with face masks and may include physical contact (e.g., hugs, holding hands).