Tennessee to allow some visitors at long-term care centers

Published 10:22 am Thursday, June 11, 2020

By JONATHAN MATTISE

Associated Press

NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee officials will soon start allowing some visitors at long-term care centers that meet certain criteria.

On Wednesday, Gov. Bill Lee’s office said the visitation options will be available starting Monday.

Facilities must first have tested all staff and residents once and comply with weekly staff retesting regulations.

The facilities also must have no new COVID-19 cases in the past 28 days and they must be in a community where the disease is stable.

Visitation can occur outdoors, using a visitation booth or protective barrier, or in a resident’s room if the visitor documents a negative COVID-19 test within the last 72 hours. Appointments must be made, the number of visitors will be limited and visitors must follow precautions about masks, social distancing and screening and temperature checks.

The state is requiring all nursing home residents and staff to be tested by June 30. State officials say not doing so will be considered a “serious deficiency,” with penalties that could include license revocation, license suspension and civil monetary penalties.

The governor said every nursing home and long-term care facility resident will have been tested by this Friday.

The announcement comes as Tennessee reports an uptick in COVID-19 cases, reporting more than 27,800 of them, with 436 confirmed deaths.

“This is not unexpected,” state Health Commissioner Lisa Piercey said at a Wednesday news conference. “People are moving about and we knew this was going to happen, and we are watching it very closely.” Hospital resources are stable, Piercey said.

Additionally, the health commissioner said the state is endorsing the use of face masks after the Environmental Protection Agency weighed in on their safety.

Last week, the state said it was pausing further distribution of the masks to county health departments while more information was gathered on the chemical, known as Silvadur.

The move came after the health departments in Shelby, Knox and Hamilton counties stopped distribution of the masks. They have been treated with Silvadur, an anti-microbial agent applied to fabrics to reduce growth of bacteria that cause odor.

Shelby County health officials said Wednesday they will start distributing the masks again beginning Thursday, saying the EPA “considers inhalation exposure to be negligible and not a health concern” with the chemical applied to the mask.

Piercey said Wednesday that the state has told its warehouse to continue distributing the masks.

North Carolina-based Renfro Corp., a sock manufacturer, secured an $8.2 million, no-bid contract for more than 5 million masks for distribution for free in Tennessee.