New state guidance relaxes COVID restrictions in long-term care facilities

There’s long-awaited guidance from the state Health Department Tuesday on COVID precautions for residents of long-term care facilities in Minnesota, based on new directives from the federal government.

Residents who are fully vaccinated may now travel and go out for activities, visits and worship without having to quarantine when they return — unless they spend 15 minutes or more in a 24-hour period within six feet of someone who can spread COVID.

Residents who are fully vaccinated may gather either indoors or outdoors with others who are fully vaccinated. They may also visit indoors or outdoors with unvaccinated people from a single household who are at low-risk of COVID, and fully-vaccinated residents may have close contact, including touch, with those they are visiting.

Quarantine guidance remains unchanged for residents who are *not* vaccinated.

(Minnesota News Network)