COLUMBIA, SC (AP) – After almost six months of isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic, people can visit relatives and friends in South Carolina nursing homes and residential facilities, but there will be no hugs and kisses and they will have to meet outside.
Governor Henry McMaster announced new guidelines for visitation on Tuesday, which requires guests to provide full contact information and undergo a temperature check and does not require any COVID-19 cases on employees or residents in the past two weeks.
“As expected, the months of separation and isolation have caused loneliness, depression, stress, anxiety among residents. I care about them, like you, every day. ”Said McMaster, adding that he read dozens of letters and had hundreds of conversations with broken-hearted families.
The move comes on the same day Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced that he will also lift that state’s ban in visiting nursing homes.
In South Carolina, visitation was stopped almost immediately after the first COVID-19 cases appeared in the state in mid-March.
Enabling visitors to return has been a goal of health officials and McMaster. In nursing homes across the state, people can be seen through the windows of their loved ones.
But for much of the summer, COVID-19 cases increased in the state, and in June, the governor had to postpone permit for visitors.
The seven-day average of new cases of COVID-19 had been dropping in the past five weeks, but that decline has stabilized and started to increase again, reaching 900 for the first time in two weeks.
COVID-19 deaths have never declined significantly in South Carolina, with the seven-day average not falling to less than 26 deaths per day since July 17.
Overall, the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control reports more than 118,000 people infected with the virus and 2,626 deaths.
The Memorial Day weekend in May marked the beginning of the peak, and with the Labor Day weekend approaching and students of all levels returning to classes, experts fear that another peak in the cases of COVID-19 can happen if people are not vigilant about masks, social distance, hand washing and other security measures.
A current hot spot is the University of South Carolina, who started his fall semester last month with face-to-face classes. The school reported more than 1,000 cases of coronavirus and occupied 60% of its quarantine space for students. The school is sending rapid tests to locations on campus where the wastewater test shows high levels of the virus.
The school also suspended six fraternities or fraternities, as well as 15 students, for violating the safety rules of COVID-19.
McMaster wanted elementary, middle and high schools to offer a five-day-a-week option for schools, although he does not have the power to order this and most districts have decided to divide students into groups that come to school two days a week and learn virtually the remaining days. All schools will start operating on September 8.
The NASCAR race in Darlington, as well as college football games this month will have fans, albeit in a much smaller capacity.
Visiting the nursing home is another milestone. The rules announced on Tuesday require visitors and residents to stay 6 feet (2 meters) away while in special outdoor visitation areas. The facility can also use three-sided Plexiglass stands to allow people to visit closer.
Masks should be worn at all times, from the moment that visitors arrive at the house. There is a limit of two visitors, who can stay only 15 minutes, unless they can provide a negative COVID-19 test in the last five days or a positive COVID-19 antibody test in the last 30 days. Pets can also visit if they are in kennels or on a leash.
Visitors cannot enter the nursing home and residents cannot pass through any area where COVID-19 patients are to reach the visiting area, according to the new rules.
The facilities must protect residents and visitors from the weather and may choose not to allow visitors if they wish.
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