Long Term Care Full Visitation Resumed with COVID-19 Precautions

Published on: March 26, 2021

Watertown, NY — On Friday, March 26, Samaritan Health received official notification from the Department of Health (DOH) that full visitation can resume at Samaritan’s Nursing Homes and Assisted Living facility.

It is important to note that visitation is allowed in the rooms, but if a resident is in a semi-private room only one resident at a time may have visitors. Visiting hours are between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., 7 days a week, and visitors do not need to make an appointment. Two (2) visitors are allowed per resident, and anyone age 16 or under must be accompanied by an adult.

Visitors will be screened in upon entry. Everyone must wear a mask while inside the facility, perform hand hygiene at the screening table, provide phone numbers for contact tracing, and sign in and out. Vaccination status will be collected, but is optional.

Visits will be limited to 1 hour to allow all visitors for this important reunion. Once in the building, visitors must go straight to their loved one’s room, stay in the room for the entire visit, and social distance at all times. Masks must remain on during visits. Please be mindful to adhere to the 1-hour rule so others have time to see their loved ones.

Per DOH guidance: If the resident is fully vaccinated, they may choose to have close contact (including touching) with their visitor while wearing a well-fitting face mask and performing hand-hygiene before and after. Regardless, visitors should physically distance from other residents and staff while in the facility. The cafeteria and café’ are both closed for visitors and residents at this point.