CMS issued finalized guidelines for states on how to safely reopen nursing homes May 18.
Five things to know:
1. The guidelines outline a phased approach to reopening the facilities to visitors — similar to the White House's national reopening guidelines — and give states flexibility in deciding when and how to implement them, according to The Wall Street Journal.
2. Nursing homes should have a testing plan in place before they start to reopen. CMS recommends the facilities first test all residents and staff before relaxing any restrictions.
3. State agencies should also inspect any nurses homes that had a serious COVID-19 outbreak before they can reopen.
4. CMS noted nursing homes should be one of the last businesses to reopen within a community to ensure residents' safety.
5. The guidelines come about a week after some officials and health experts voiced concern over a draft version of the document, which they argued was too vague.