WATERTOWN — After receiving official notification from the state Department of Health on Friday morning, Samaritan Medical Center announced in a letter that full visitation has resumed at Samaritan’s Nursing Homes and Assisted Living facility.
Visitation is allowed in the rooms, but if a resident is in a semiprivate room, only one resident at a time may have visitors. Visiting hours are between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., seven days a week, and visitors do not need to make an appointment. Two visitors are allowed per resident, and anyone age 16 or under must be accompanied by an adult.
Visitors will be screened upon entry and everyone must wear a mask while inside the facility, perform hand hygiene at the screening table, provide phone numbers for contact tracing and sign in and out. Vaccination statuses will be collected, but will be optional to give.
Visits will be limited to one hour. Once in the building, visitors must go straight to their loved one’s room, stay in the room for the entire visit, and social distance at all times. Masks must remain on during visits.
Per DOH guidance: If the resident is fully vaccinated, they may choose to have close contact, including touching, with their visitor while wearing a well-fitting face mask and performing hand-hygiene before and after. Regardless, visitors should physically distance from other residents and staff while in the facility, the letter reads.
The cafeteria and café are still both closed for visitors and residents at this point.
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