The Virginia Senate approved a bill unanimously Friday that requires nursing homes to allow visits for its residents at least once every ten days. The visits could be carried out either in person or virtually.
In the case of virtual visits, care facilities would be required to provide residents with the necessary technology and support from staff. In-person visitors would be required to abide by the facilities’ health and safety guidelines.
The bill aims to ease the burden of isolation on senior citizens, which was brought into the spotlight when nursing homes closed to visitors during the pandemic.
There have been 2,550 coronavirus-related deaths in Virginia, according to the Virginia Department of Health. More than half of those have been in Virginia’s long-term care facilities.