The Iowa Department of Public Health says it is committed to taking critical steps to ensure long term care facility residents are protected from communicable diseases, including Novel Coronavirus [COVID-19].

Because older adults and those with chronic medical conditions are at highest risk for serious complications from COVID-19, the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) encourages long term care facilities to align their practices with recent guidance issued by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services which limits non-essential visitors to long term care facilities. In addition, IDPH is requesting that long term care facilities report to the department when greater than two staff or residents are ill with respiratory symptoms without another diagnosis.

The Department further encourages long term care facilities to implement additional visitor limitation protocols as deemed necessary to protect the life and safety of their residents.

The CMS Guidance for Infection Control and Prevention of Coronavirus Disease 2019 is available here.