SLO County officials lift ban on nursing home visits as coronavirus cases drop
San Luis Obispo County residents in skilled nursing facilities may be able to have visitors after months of being confined to only seeing those within their nursing home.
On Monday, the San Luis Obispo County Public Health Department lifted its local executive order that has banned visitors at registered skilled nursing facilities since June 5, according to the county.
“Visitors are an essential part of patient care and recovery and play an important role in the mental well-being of patients at skilled nursing facilities,” county Public Health Officer Dr. Penny Borenstein said in a news release.
The local order, similar to the order restricting hospital and residential living facility visits, was meant to help protect some of the county’s most vulnerable population from coronavirus.
However, a COVID-19 outbreak at a skilled nursing facility took the lives of residents who died without the comfort of having family and friends by their side.
At Vineyard Hills Health Center in Templeton, 25 residents and 25 employees tested positive for COVID-19, according to state data. Several of the residents at the Templeton care facility died due to the virus.
According to state data, at least one, but fewer than 11, employees at four other skilled nursing facilities in San Luis Obispo County — Arroyo Grande Care Center, Bayside Care Center, Danish Care Center and Mission View Health Center — tested positive for coronavirus.
None of the residents at those four facilities tested positive for COVID-19.
The lifted ordinance was announced a day before San Luis Obispo County moved from California’s purple COVID-19 tier to the less restrictive red tier. The county’s new status means that more business sectors may reopen and coronavirus spread within the county is considered “substantial,” but no longer “widespread.”
“Throughout this pandemic, we’ve worked to balance the science of transmission with the needs that we, as humans, have for connection,” Borenstein said in the release. “At this time, we believe the right processes are in place to effectively manage both.”
Compass Health, a healthcare provider that owns all six skilled nursing facilities in San Luis Obispo County, has prohibited all visitors with some specific exceptions since March 11, before the first coronavirus case was confirmed in the county and prior to the county’s visitation ordinance.
The healthcare company has not yet updated any guidance on visitation policies. As of Tuesday afternoon, the CEO of Compass Health had not replied to requests for comment via email and phone about when or if the policies will change.
Although the local order has been lifted, skilled nursing facilities will still have to limit visitations in accordance with guidelines set by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention if they permit visitors.
As per CDC guidelines, only one person at a time will be allowed to visit each skilled nursing home resident, according to the San Luis Obispo County news release. Each visitor will need to wear a face covering.
Anyone with COVID-19 symptoms or anyone who may have been exposed to coronavirus is asked to stay home. Borenstein recommended visitors be tested for coronavirus and receive a negative test result before visiting.
