Md. Resumes Allowing Indoor Visitors At Nursing Homes

More than three months after limited outdoor visitation was permitted to resume at Maryland nursing homes, indoor visitation is now being permitted.

Governor Larry Hogan announced Thursday that a nursing home without a positive COVID-19 test result within 14 days will be able to accept visitors indoors. Screening procedures and other protocols are also in place.

“This spring, for states across the nation, nursing homes became ground zero in the fight against COVID-19,” Hogan said. “Today, effective immediately as a result of new federal and state guidelines and our advances in rapid testing, indoor visitation is now able to begin in all nursing homes.”

Hogan says the state is also committing an additional $6-million specifically to test nursing home staff in Maryland. 76 Maryland nursing homes had active COVID-19 cases as of Thursday, down from 130 on August 5th.

Also Thursday, State Superintendent of Schools Karen Salmon announced that day care providers will be able to operate at their licensed capacity and at their approved provider-to-child ratio.