Taken from May 18th’s Tuesdays with Tom video. Edited for length and clarity.

What is the policy on wearing face coverings in the facility?

Right now, Licensing is still requiring face coverings. We’re hearing a lot of things from the CDC, and the Health Department. A lot of people are saying [that] if everybody’s vaccinated, you do not need face coverings anymore. But Licensing’s policy is still [to] wear face coverings.

And it is the most restrictive, so if you take Licensing, the CDC, and the Health Department, whatever one is the most restrictive is what we have to abide by. And until that changes, you should all have your staff wearing face coverings in the facilities.

Has Licensing cited any facilities for staff not wearing a face covering?

Yes. And even as far as last week, two facilities we got calls on were cited with employees not having face coverings. So again, until something changes, we need to make sure the staff are wearing face coverings. That can be the cloth coverings, the N95 respirators—although you should be doing a Fit Test if you’re using the N95 respirators—or it can be just the regular face mask.

Where can more information be found? How will I know about the latest updates?

Provider Information Notices (PINs).

It’s what they’re using to update you on their requirements. The PINs are not regulations yet, but you are expected to follow the information on them. It’s on the State’s website: homepage, on the right-hand side. And it’ll say Provider Information Notices.

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