Coronavirus News: Health Department revises policy for COVID-19 positive nursing home employees returning to work
NEW YORK (WABC) -- The New York Department of Health is revising a policy that allowed nursing home employees to continue to work after testing positive for coronavirus.
The earlier policy said employees who were asymptomatic could return to work three days after recovery and at least seven days since first symptoms started. Now, the state wants nursing home employees to wait two weeks before returning to work.
"DOH is further restricting COVID positive healthcare personnel from returning to work for 14 days," the health department said in a statement provided to ABC News.
The policy change comes amid an increasing amount of death in nursing homes statewide.
More than 1 in 5 coronavirus deaths in New York have occurred in adult long-term care facilities.
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