Nursing homes to remain closed with new visitation guidelines as governor opens the state
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)
As most of Missouri is fully reopened under phase two of the Governor's reopening plan, high-risk facilities like nursing homes will still be closed to the public.
At Gov. Mike Parson's Tuesday press briefing, he and state health director Dr. Randall Williams provided more information on the state's new guidelines for nursing homes that want to allow visitors to see residents.
The state issued guidelines for outdoor visits and for nursing home residents to have communal activities on Monday. Williams said the guidance does not mean that homes are fully reopened to the public.
Williams said rules from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services still restrict visitors to nursing homes.
"The guidelines we issued yesterday will enable them under certain guidance to come outside screened, everyone gets screened, so they can at least be together until we can move into that more phased in approach," Dr. Williams said.
Parson said the reopening of nursing homes will be a slow, phased-in approach, but acknowledged that people want to see their loved ones. The state must balance that desire with the need to protect nursing home residents, Parson said.
"It will be up to individual facilities to decide, consistent with DHSS guidelines, how to move for the ard based on any local orders still in place and the current situation in their facilities," Parson said.
Even though there is no health order in place, Parson believes the state and local health departments are on the same page as these high-risk facilities.
"When we say guidance or orders, I think we are all aware it needs to be done, we're just trying to find out how you do it," Parson said. "So I don't think it's a question about whether people are breaking a law or breaking an order, we're just trying to figure out how to do that."
Parson said more information about how nursing homes will reopen will likely come out later in the week.
