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New Visiting Guidelines For Window Visits At Long-Term Care Facilities

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MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Minnesota's long-term care facilities are getting on the same page to deal with one of the most heartbreaking factors of the COVID-19 pandemic: social isolation.

The Department of Health has unveiled new guidelines for window visits. But as case numbers at these facilities continue to fall across the state, we wondered what connecting with loved ones again might look like in the future.

North Ridge Health and Rehab in New Hope has kept family and friends away from their residents since mid-March.

"Yeah, it's not an easy thing for the residents," Austin Blilie, vice president of operations said.

The site is the largest long-term care facility and home to the state's largest COVID-19 outbreak. North Ridge has lost 57 people to the pandemic -- 74 staff members have tested positive.

But as its COVID-19 cases fall, personal connections remain a priority.

"They really take caregiving to the next level. They care about these people no matter what's going on around them," Blilie said.

Skype and FaceTime calls are now a staple. Music serenades are allowed at a distance.

Now, some guidance from the Minnesota Department of Health on how to conduct window visits safely: Wearing cloth masks and rules on how far to stay back if the window is open. Guidance for outdoor visits at nursing homes will be finalized in the near future.

As CEO and President of Care Providers of Minnesota, Patti Cullen has been focused on prevention at the state's nearly 400 nursing homes and 1,800 assisted living facilities. She believes infection controls are on the right track but that testing at these sites needs more work.

"It's this ongoing balance of the risk of safety vs. the risk of isolation that we keep talking about with the health department," Cullen said.

Cullen doesn't see open doors at the places accounting for 80% of the state's COVID-19 deaths, until a vaccine is available. But, she believes where community spread is slow or non-existent, relaxed rules will come sooner rather than later.

"We're not going back to what we were. We will go back to something better than what is today, But they have to always remember their loved ones are at the highest risk," Cullen said.

Data has now been compiled by the state and federal regulators documenting case documenting case outbreaks at long-term care facilities.

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