Official Site of The State of New Jersey

The NJ Department of Health has recently launched a Long-Term Care Resources Page that provides all of the recent guidance relating to LTC visitation, quarantine protocols, the facility outbreak list, and information about vaccination programs. This site includes links to the most recent visitation guidance released on March 22 that supplements Executive Directive 20-026, last updated January 6) which lays out a plan for the Resumption of Services in all LTC facilities . It also includes the May 12 DOH Memo that relates to "the Provision of Services, Group Activities, Visitation, and Testing in all Long-Term Care Facilities."

This March 22 visitation guidance states that any facility that has not had two positive staff cases or one positive resident case in 14 days MUST schedule indoor social visits and it reiterates that Compassionate Care visits and End of Life visits are allowed indoors at all times. (See page 24 of the Resumption of Services Executive Directive).

The May 12 guidance states that all communal activities and dining should resume for all residents, except residents who have or are suspected of having COVID-19 and residents who are in quarantine due to suspected or confirmed exposure. This guidance also allows hair dressers and barbers, volunteers and other outside contractors to enter the building.

The NJ DOH has also released guidance for when a resident who leaves the LTC facility might need to quarantine upon their return, and when they do not have to quarantine. This guidance is addressed in Holiday Guidance that the NJ DOH issued on March 26 in anticipation of the spring and summer holidays .

LTC facilities are being asked to utilize a risk assessment tool to determine if a resident needs to quarantine after returning to the facility. Generally, CDC and NJ DOH guidance states that residents who are fully vaccinated only need to quarantine upon their return if they were exposed to someone with COVID-19.