Situation Report | June 14, 2021
The state Department of Health (DOH) has posted two “Dear Administrator Letters” (DALs) which eliminate the requirement that adult care facility (ACF) and nursing home staff (including contract staff from home care or hospice agencies) receive COVID-19 tests either once (in ACF) or twice (in nursing homes) per week, provided that the staff are fully vaccinated.
According to the ACF DAL:
Additionally, regardless of the frequency of testing being performed or the facility’s COVID-19 status, the ACF must continue to screen all staff (each shift), each resident (daily), and all persons entering the ACF, such as vendors, volunteers, and visitors, for signs and symptoms of COVID-19.
ACF staff members with signs or symptoms of COVID-19 should immediately obtain a diagnostic test for SARS-CoV-2, irrespective of the staff member’s vaccination status.
Similarly, the nursing home DAL states:
Please be advised that regardless of the frequency of testing being performed or the facility’s COVID-19 status, the facility must continue to screen all staff (each shift), each resident (daily), and all persons entering the facility, such as vendors, volunteers, and visitors, for signs and symptoms of COVID-19.
Staff with signs or symptoms of COVID-19, whether fully vaccinated or not, must receive a COVID-19 test immediately, along with any other medically-appropriate testing (e.g., viral respiratory pathogens), and are expected to be restricted from the facility pending the results of COVID-19 testing.