Gov. Kemp Reopening Georgia Senior Care Communities for First Time Since COVID-19 Struck

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has lifted restrictions on senior long-term care communities imposed since COVID-19 hit the state in March, reports the Gwinnett Daily Post . As of 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, nursing, personal-care, assisted-living, hospice, and other senior-care communities have been permitted to reopen, subject to continuing measures aimed at reducing the spread of the virus. They will be allowed to reopen via a three-phase process, with the last phase being the least restrictive. Decisions on which phase to implement are determined by factors like the number of coronavirus cases in the local community or inside the facility; access to personal protective equipment; whether the community has adequate staffing; and local hospital capacity. Phase 1 restrictions will ban visits for the most part, while non-medically necessary trips should be avoided and screening of residents and staff will be held three times daily under both phases 1 and 2. Visits are permitted under phases 2 and 3, with outside visits preferable. Limited non-medically necessary trips also will be allowed under the second and third phases, while screening of residents and staff will only be required once a day in Phase 3.