State Issues COVID-19 Testing Orders For Long-Term Care Facilities

May 11, 2020

With hundreds of COVID-19 deaths across the state linked to long-term facilities, the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration issued an emergency rules Sunday to bolster testing of staff members.

The rules require nursing homes and assisted living facilities to grant access to the Florida Department of Health or their authorized representative for the purpose infection prevention and control, including mandated COVID-19 testing of both on-duty and off-duty staff when arranged by the department.

“The challenge we face is mitigating and containing the spread of this deadly virus in our long-term care facilities,” said AHCA Secretary Mary Mayhew.”To guard against the rapid spread of COVID-19, I am issuing emergency rules for our nursing homes and assisted living facilities requiring that every facility allow access to the Department of Health or their authorized representative for mandatory testing for all facility staff by the Florida Department of Health during testing visits. These rules will also require every facility to allow access to the Department of Health or their authorized representative for infection prevention and control purposes.”

As of Sunday morning, 703 residents or staff members of long-term care facilities had died from the virus, according for over 40% of all COVID-19 deaths in Florida. In Escambia County, about three-quarters of the COVID-19 deaths have been related to long-term care facilities.

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Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News