On the evening of Wednesday, March 13, the Wisconsin Supreme Court
issued an opinion which struck down
Emergency Order 28, an Order which had extended Wisconsin's original stay-at-home order from April 24 to May 26. The conservative Court voted 4-3 to overturn the Order.
For nursing homes, a
CMS directive to restrict visitation is still active. The state survey agency has indicated it will continue to rely on this memo for Infection Control survey activity.
Survey activity will still remain limited under this
CMS memo.
DHS guidance continues to
recommend visitation restrictions for all LTC settings, as well as screening residents/staff regularly, practicing social distancing, and restricting communal dining.
WHCA/WiCAL has created three documents (
available here) to help notify residents, families, and staff that current visitation restrictions remain in place in Wisconsin nursing homes:
- Template letter – notification to families that the CMS visitation restriction memo is still active
- Template door posting – notification that visitation restrictions remain in effect
- Template communication to staff encouraging the use of caution and social responsibility
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Please note:
WHCA/WiCAL has reached out to DQA - Bureau of Assisted Living officials for more information on how the state plans to proceed with Assisted Living visitation restrictions.
DQA officials have indicated an announcement on ALF guidance tomorrow, Friday, May 15. The above information is specifically oriented toward nursing facilities, and WHCA/WiCAL will provide information for AL facilities as soon as it becomes available.
In the interim, WHCA/WiCAL reminds assisted living operators that
CDC guidance
recommends all LTC settings restrict visitation to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
