(Bloomberg) -- The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has instructed nursing homes to significantly restrict visitors and limit communal activities to guard against possible coronavirus spread, according to a statement from the federal agency.
The new measures are intended to protect senior citizens who are at highest risk for complications from the virus, the CMS said. Restrictions apply to all visitors except in certain cases of compassionate care as well as to non-essential workers at nursing homes. All group activities and community dining will also be canceled, according to the statement.
“As we learn more about the coronavirus from experts on the ground, we've learned that seniors with multiple conditions are at highest risk for infection and complications, so CMS is using every tool at our disposal to keep nursing homes free from infection,” said CMS Administrator Seema Verma.
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To contact the reporter on this story: Melissa Cheok in Singapore at mcheok2@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Niluksi Koswanage at nkoswanage@bloomberg.net, Siraj Datoo, Linus Chua
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