News Article

New Guidance from CDC to Reduce Spread of COVID-19 in Assisted Living Facilities

November 29, 2022

On November 29th, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released new guidance to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 within congregate settings, including assisted living facilities.  Importantly, this guidance does not apply to skilled nursing facilities and does not apply to healthcare services being provided in congregate settings, both of which are governed by: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/infection-control-recommendations.html.  The CDC is encouraging facilities to balance COVID-19 prevention with the impact of reducing access to daily services and programing. 

To assess COVID-19 risk in assisted livings and group homes, facilities should monitor COVID-19 community levels and consider: the vulnerability of their residents, facility characteristics that could accelerate COVID-19 spread such as poor ventilation and high volumes of visitation, and whether COVID-19 is actively spreading in the facility.

To mitigate risks, facilities can consider several strategies including: increasing and improving ventilation, expanding the use of masks, implementing screening testing, moving activities outdoors, creating physical distance, and enhancing cleaning and disinfecting protocols.