The Wyoming Department of Health has issued new guidelines to allow in-person visits to long-care facilities, three months after all such facilities barred in-person visits due to the coronavirus pandemic.
But the visits will have to be outdoors and under strict guidance. Visits can happen in a designated outdoor space and no more than two people can visit a resident at a time.
Visitors will also have to undergo a health screening before every visit. A facility staff member trained in patient safety and infection control measures must remain with the resident at all times during the visit.
Staff and residents must wear surgical face masks and visitors are required to wear face coverings.
“We recognize how challenging this pandemic has been for Wyoming’s aging population and their families,” Gov. Mark Gordon said in a news release. “Isolation can be debilitating for our seniors. I’m glad we are able to take this step to make in-person visits possible in a safe manner.”
The decision to allow visitation rests with individual facilities, which are encouraged to consider local conditions when making visitation determinations.
