The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has prohibited communal meals and other communal activities in nursing facilities.
Access to a facility is allowed only to essential health care workers and government surveyors. “Essential” may be interpreted narrowly, particularly given the risk posed by health care providers who may see residents in multiple facilities. This type of worker was cited as one of the problems in the nursing facility outbreak that occurred in Kirkland, Washington, as COVID-19 first impacted the United States. Physician visits can be conducted via telehealth, rather than being done in person.
Justice in Aging