You are reading

Cuomo Changes COVID-19 Nursing Home Policy

(Kevin P. Coughlin / Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo)

May 11, 2020 By Christian Murray

Gov. Andrew Cuomo appears to have reversed course on his past ruling requiring nursing home operators to readmit seniors who have been treated elsewhere for COVID-19.

Cuomo, on March 25, ordered nursing homes to readmit seniors who had been treated at hospitals and other facilities for COVID-19.

Yesterday, Cuomo said nursing home residents now must test negative before they are allowed back into their nursing home facility.

Cuomo had been subject to much criticism for his March 25 directive. While nursing home patients are kept separate from the rest of the residents—many argue that it has put other seniors at risk. Some say that nursing homes don’t have the space for COVID-19 patients to be properly isolated.

His critics say that his policy—requiring readmission—added to the number of fatalities at nursing homes.

Cuomo said that this new directive was not a significant change of policy, since nursing home operators have always had the ability to transfer residents elsewhere if they believe they couldn’t provide the necessary care.

Cuomo also announced an additional requirement to increase safety Sunday. All nursing home staff must undergo increased testing.

“Today we’re taking additional steps to protect residents of nursing homes,” Cuomo said. “All nursing home staff must now be tested twice a week. That’s not just a temperature check. That is a diagnostic test.”

email the author: news@queenspost.com
No comments yet

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

Teen robbed of necklace at gunpoint while waiting for R train at Elmhurst subway: NYPD

Police from the 110th Precinct in Elmhurst and Transit District 20 are looking for a gunman who allegedly robbed a teenager at the Grand Avenue-Newtown subway station.

The 18-year-old victim was waiting for an R train at around 2 p.m. on Friday, April 10, when a stranger approached him, lifted his sweatshirt to show he had a firearm tucked into his waistband, and demanded the victim’s necklace. The teenager surrendered his necklace, and the armed robber fled the station onto Queens Boulevard at Broadway.

No charges for NYPD officer who fatally shot Jamaica man during Fourth of July domestic dispute: AG

New York Attorney General Letitia James will not bring charges against the NYPD officer who shot and killed Pedro Felix on the Fourth of July during a chaotic domestic violence incident in Jamaica in 2024.

Her Office of Special Investigation (OSI) released its report into the fatal shooting on Tuesday, after a thorough mandated probe, which included review of footage from body-worn cameras, interviews with witnesses and involved officers, and comprehensive legal analysis, OSI concluded that a prosecutor would not be able to disprove beyond a reasonable doubt at trial that the officer’s actions were justified under New York law.