Reopening Colorado: Outdoor Visits With Seniors In Care Facilities Will Be Allowed With Precautions
DENVER (CBS4) -- Gov. Jared Polis announced new policies to allow outdoor visits with older adults living in care facilities in Colorado.
"I'm very thrilled today to announce we are going forward, we are taking steps to facilitate outdoor visitation and residential care facilities," Gov. Polis stated Wednesday. "Now, with warm weather of summer, we have a unique opportunity to help seniors be connected stay connected with loved ones."
Some of the main requirements include:
- the visit must be scheduled with the facility;
- prior to the visit, guests need to provide information on COVID instructions and self screening;
- the visitor must be greeted outside at a designated entry;
- the staff member performs a temperature checking and symptom screening;
- the visitor must wear a mask;
- and, all staff and residents must also wear masks.
"We want to give our older Coloradans and their loved ones the psychological lift of being able to be with one another and sustain a way of doing in a reasonably safe way so that we don't see that age jump back up and the deaths jump back up and hospitalizations jump back up," Polis stated.
Polis said limited visiting will be allowed indoors soon with the Lifeline Pass Program.
"I've also asked my scientists to work on protocols for indoor visits," Polis said. "It's a delicate balance. We want to protect our loved ones from COVID. We also want to ensure that we can have the emotional bonding and personal support that we need on all sides of the generational divide."