ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Indoor visitation can begin immediately at Maryland nursing homes that are not seeing a current coronavirus outbreak and have not had any new cases of the virus in the past two weeks, Gov. Larry Hogan announced during a news conference Thursday.
Hogan cited improving metrics statewide that are helping loosen the guidelines. He added, however, that in line with federal guidelines, indoor visitation would not be permitted if the local jurisdiction's positivity rate exceeds 10%.
“This spring, for states across the nation, nursing homes became ground zero in the fight against COVID-19,” Hogan said.
The state has provided nearly $102 million in emergency funding for testing and personal protective equipment at nursing homes.
Hogan said that through the bipartisan interstate testing compact, Maryland secured nearly 250,000 rapid antigen tests. By next week, all 227 nursing homes in Maryland will be on track to receive their initial allocations of rapid testing supplies.
Earlier Thursday, the state’s health department reported the COVID-19 positivity rate as 2.88% and no new deaths in the past 24 hours, the first time the state reported no new deaths in a 24-hour period since late March.
Maryland is now averaging 489 cases per day. Two weeks ago, the state was averaging 616 cases per day, a 21% decrease.
In July, four nursing homes in Maryland were fined for not complying with the state's coronavirus testing requirements.
The four homes violated an executive order signed off by Gov. Larry Hogan in April, requiring all nursing home residents and staff to be tested for coronavirus.
Two nursing homes -- Stadium Place Nursing and Rehab Center in Baltimore and ManorCare Health Services in Adelphi -- were hit with $10,000 fines. The other two senior centers, Glen Burnie Health and Rehabilitation Center and Rockville's Potomac Valley Rehabilitation, were charged with $4,000 fines, a letter to facilities from Maryland.
It was unclear why Stadium Place and ManorCare were fined more and what the specific areas of noncompliance were.
Hogan's executive order made Maryland one of the first in the country to mandate universal testing to all nursing home residents and staff.
Under the order, employees who do test positive in the homes are asked to immediately self-quarantine, with "bridge teams" of health aides and Maryland nurses deployed to help facilities who may have staffing shortages.