Orange County Suspends Nursing Home Visits

GOSHEN, NY — Nursing homes in Orange County are being required to suspend visitation in order prevent the spread of the new coronavirus.

Dr. Irina Gelman, Orange County's commissioner of health, issued an order Oct. 15 requiring that "congregate settings including nursing homes, assisted living facilities, skilled nursing facilities, long-term care facilities and hospitals must suspend visitation in order to protect their residents from exposure to COVID-19."

The order also said, if a resident is exposed to the virus, they must be isolated in order to prevent transmission to other residents.

There are four exceptions which will let one person visit a patient or resident for the following reasons:

• End of life
• OB deliveries
• Pediatric patients
• People with developmental disabilities who require a chaperone

Gelman said a resident who leaves a facility for any reason must quarantine for 14 days upon return to the facility and must test negative for the new coronavirus using a PCR test on or about day 13 of the quarantine period prior to returning to the general population.

As of Oct. 20, there were 17 staff in seven nursing/rehabilitation facilities who tested positive for the new coronavirus and three positive residents in two facilities.

Gelman said the county has also seen significant transmission in medical settings across the county.

"This is a protective measure in order to reduce the incidence of mortality, hospitalizations and complications as a result of COVID-19," she said.

According to the Orange County NY COVID-19 Cases by Town, there have been 13,464 confirmed cases of the new coronavirus since the pandemic began. There have been 507 deaths.

Forty people are hospitalized with COVID-19-related illnesses. There are 18 people who are hospitalized but are under investigation for COVID-19.

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