Maryland’s nursing home and long-term care employees will be required to wear personal protective equipment at all times, and testing for residents of these facilities will be expedited as part of Gov. Larry Hogan’s latest emergency order designed to slow the spread of coronavirus among the elderly population.
A news release Sunday said that 81 nursing homes and long-term assisted living facilities across Maryland have seen cases or “clusters of cases” of the virus, after state officials said on Friday that the number was around 60.
It was first announced Friday by Fran Phillips, deputy secretary of the Maryland Department of Health, that the state would require “universal masking” among staff that regularly come in contact with nursing home residents because of asymptomatic transmission of COVID-19.
The new guidelines said that personnel must wear personal protective equipment, “including a face mask, appropriate eye protection, gloves, and gown.” Facilities were told to request PPE from the state via the Department of Health’s previously established process.
The state laboratory will prioritize testing for symptomatic residents of these facilities, now on the same plane as hospitalized patients and health care workers and first responders who display symptoms.
All facilities were told create a separate area for residents that have the coronavirus or are suspected to have it. Per the order, “newly admitted and readmitted residents” also must be kept in a different room or unit for 14 days while being observed for COVID-19 symptoms.
The order further gives residents “right of return” — disallowing nursing homes from rejecting the readmission of a resident who was treated at a hospital for COVID-19.
“As we have been saying for several weeks, older Marylanders and those with underlying health conditions are more vulnerable and at a significantly higher risk of contracting, getting more severely ill, and dying from this disease,” Mr. Hogan said in the release. “Of major concern is that we currently have cases or clusters of cases at 81 nursing homes and long-term care facilities across the state. Our highest priority is keeping Marylanders safe, and we will use every tool at our disposal to protect the most vulnerable among us.”
Maryland will enforce the order under threat of imprisonment for up to one year, or a fine up to $5,000.
The state has had particular trouble with keeping the virus out of facilities for elder care. In late March, an outbreak at Pleasant View Nursing Home in Carroll County led to at least 99 residents and staff contracting COVID-19 and five deaths.
• Adam Zielonka can be reached at azielonka@washingtontimes.com.
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