By Allison Perrine
NEW JERSEY – The governor announced some positive news for residents of long-term care facilities and their family members during a press conference Wednesday, July 15.
With guidelines from the state Department of Health, parents or legal guardians of pediatric, developmentally disabled and intellectually disabled residents in long-term care facilities can make visitation appointments to see their loved ones. Outdoor visits may also continue per the directives issued before Father’s Day in June, said Gov. Phil Murphy.
“We know that this has been a trying time for the families of residents in these settings. However, as we’ve mentioned before, when it comes to some of our state’s most vulnerable residents, we have had to take extra precautions to save lives,” said Murphy.
The visits may be conducted by appointment only, and any visitors looking to see their loved ones must first submit attestations to the Department of Health. Indoor visitations will be permitted in facilities that have not recorded any new probable or confirmed cases of COVID-19 in a 28-day period.
Face coverings must be worn during the visits and nonresidents will be screened for symptoms. Visits will be conducted in specific areas of the facility to minimize the risk of exposure for others, the governor said. Facilities must also have their own written guidelines in place before visitations may occur.
Additionally, Murphy announced updates to the list of states on the travel advisory; anyone returning or visiting from a state on the list should self-isolate for 14 days. It now includes 22 states with the additions of Minnesota, New Mexico, Ohio and Wisconsin. Delaware was removed from the list now that its public health metrics are improving, said Murphy.
According to the governor’s office, the advisory applies to anyone traveling from a state with a positive test rate over 10 per 100,000 residents or a state with a 10 percent or higher positivity rate over a seven-day average.
“This goes equally whether you are a visitor to our state or a New Jersey resident returning from one of these states,” he said. “We must remain vigilant and committed to our collective effort of beating COVID-19 and reducing the rate of transmission throughout New Jersey.”
The full list now includes Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Mexico, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Wisconsin. Anyone with additional questions about the travel advisory can visit covid19.nj.gov/travel.
As of Wednesday, July 15, the cumulative statewide total of positive COVID-19 cases reached 176,278. Of that number, there have been 13,660 lab-confirmed deaths and 1,974 likely related deaths that have not been lab-confirmed. The daily positivity rate for tests recorded July 10 reached 2.13 percent, which Murphy said is still among the lowest positivity rates in the country despite it being “up a hair” since Tuesday. Similarly, the rate of transmission is 0.93 percent, showing that the spread is slowing as it falls below one.
But the only way to keep those figures “in the green” is to continually take social distancing precautions, wear face masks, wash hands frequently and stay at home when experiencing any symptoms. Those who do show signs of possible infection should get tested, Murphy advised. The state now has the capacity to provide tests at over 240 locations.
The article originally appeared in the July 16 – 22, 2020 print edition of The Two River Times.
