The California Department of Health has issued an All Facilities Letter (AFL) informing skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) that the state will be distributing around 330,000 Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) waived BinaxNow antigen tests for visitor testing. The tests aim to facilitate indoor visitation amidst the surge in COVID-19 cases. The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) will coordinate the delivery of test kits to SNFs through the Medical Health Operational Area Coordinator (MHOAC) program. SNFs must contact their MHOAC program to request test kits, with a maximum allocation of three tests per licensed bed. SNFs receiving the testing supplies must use them to comply with visitor testing requirements, ensuring visitors have a negative SARS-CoV-2 test before indoor visits. Visitors must be vaccinated, have all recommended doses, and provide evidence of a negative test within one day for antigen tests or within two days for PCR tests.

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