Residential communities for older adults may combine nursing, assisted living, and independent living lifestyles. Each community may face different risks and decide to put in place less restrictive or more restrictive protocols.

To help protect friends and family members who live in these communities, get vaccinated. CDC has also issued updated recommendations for visitations at post-acute facilities. These recommendations align with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)external iconexternal icon guidance for visitations under various circumstances.

Learn more about the risks among people who live in nursing homes or long-term care facilities and about CDC’s guidance for preventing the spread COVID-19 infection in nursing homes.

There is no way to ensure you have zero risk of getting the virus that causes COVID-19.  So, it is important to understand the risks and know how to reduce your risk as much as possible if or when you do resume some activities, run errands, and attend events and gatherings.

While it is generally safest to implement universal use of source control for everyone in a healthcare setting, the following allowances could be considered for individuals who are up to date with all recommended COVID-19 vaccine doses (who do not otherwise meet the criteria described above) in healthcare facilities located in counties with low to moderate community transmission. These individuals might choose to continue using source control if they or someone in their household is immunocompromised or at increased risk for severe disease, or if someone in their household is not up to date with all recommended COVID-19 vaccine doses.

• HCP who are up to date with all recommended COVID-19 vaccine doses:
  • Could choose not to wear source control or physically distance when they are in well-defined areas that are restricted from patient access (e.g., staff meeting rooms, kitchen).
    • They should wear source control when they are in areas of the healthcare facility where they could encounter patients (e.g., hospital cafeteria, common halls/corridors).
• Patient Visitation:
  • Indoor visitation (in single-person rooms; in multi-person rooms, when roommates are not present; or in designated visitation areas when others are not present): The safest practice is for patients and visitors to wear source control and physically distance, particularly if either of them are at risk for severe disease or are unvaccinated.
    • If the patient and all their visitor(s) are up to date with all recommended COVID-19 vaccine doses, they can choose not to wear source control and to have physical contact.
    • Visitors should wear source control when around other residents or HCP, regardless of vaccination status.
  • Outdoor Visitation: Patients and their visitors should follow the source control and physical distancing recommendations for outdoor settings described on the page addressing Your Guide to Masks.
• Residents who are up to date with all recommended COVID-19 vaccine doses in Nursing Homes in Areas of Low to Moderate Transmission:
  • Nursing homes are healthcare settings, but they also serve as a home for long-stay residents and quality of life should be balanced with risks for transmission. In light of this, consideration could be given to allowing residents who are up to date with all recommended COVID-19 vaccine doses to not use source control when in communal areas of the facility; however, residents at increased risk for severe disease should still consider continuing to practice physical distancing and use of source control

To learn more, please visit https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/infection-control-recommendations.html.