COLUMBUS, Ohio — As Ohio continues to distribute the coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has issued new guidance regarding visitation at nursing homes and assisted living facilities in the state.
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Most notably, DeWine said that indoor visitation at any home or facility that meets the necessary safety criteria will be required to allow indoor visits for a minimum of 30 minutes. Additionally, touching will be allowed for vaccinated residents with both the resident and visitor being required to wear masks. Visitation will also be permitted in private rooms, as opposed to the general visitation areas that were previously required.
Ohio is also expanding its list of examples for compassionate care visits from four to nine. Those examples can be found on the state's coronavirus.ohio.gov website.
DeWine said that vaccinated employees at nursing homes and assisted living facilities will be required to be tested for the coronavirus once a week. Meanwhile, non-vaccinated employees will be tested twice a week.
All nursing homes and assisted living facilities are required to screen visitors for COVID-19 symptoms, keep a log of visitors for potential contact tracing, with all visitors wearing masks. Visits also must be scheduled in advance.
DeWine also noted that it remains possible that visitations could once again become limited should the facilities have any COVID-19 outbreaks. DeWine advised the homes to continue reporting their coronavirus data to the state's dashboard.
Last week, DeWine revealed that the state's long-term care facilities reported just 70 new cases of COVID-19. That marked a significant improvement from the 157 new cases reported the previous week, as well as the 2,832 new cases reported at the peak of the pandemic in December, just prior to the initial distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine.
As of this past Friday, all Ohioans 40-years-old and older, as well as those with qualifying occupations or medical conditions are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. On Monday, DeWine announced that he is directing vaccine providers to allow any Ohioan age 16 years or older to receive the vaccine to help fill unscheduled appointments.
You can watch DeWine's full press briefing in the video player below.