The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued a revised Quality & Safety Memo, focusing on nursing home visitation during the COVID-19 pandemic. The memo outlines new guidance for visitation, considering the impact of COVID-19 vaccinations. It emphasizes the importance of maintaining infection prevention practices while allowing visitation through various means, such as in resident rooms, dedicated visitation spaces, and outdoors. Core principles of COVID-19 infection prevention include screening, hand hygiene, face coverings, social distancing, instructional signage, cleaning and disinfecting, appropriate staff use of PPE, and resident and staff testing. The memo also provides guidance on outdoor and indoor visitation, compassionate care visits, and visitation during an outbreak. It encourages visitor testing and vaccination but does not require it as a condition of visitation.

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