(WSIL) -- The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) is allowing long-term care facilities to hold outdoor visits.
On Thursday, IDPH released guidelines to help nursing homes hold in-person visits between family members and residents.
It includes limiting residents to two visitors at a time and enforcing social distancing guidelines between residents and visitors.
It also requires nursing homes to set a maximum number of daily visitors each day, which depends on how much outdoor space the facility has.
Nursing homes can hold outdoor visitations underneath a canopy or a tent without walls. That would help keep the visitor from entering a long-term care facility.
To schedule an appointment, visitors must call the nursing home 24 hours in advance. This would allow workers to pre-screen visitors using a check list provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Visitors displaying COVID-19 symptoms should not to visit the facility. Residents with an active COVID-19 case won't be allowed to take part either.
Staff will be on hand to supervise each visit to ensure the use of masks and social distancing.
To read IPDH's guidelines, click .
