The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living sent a joint letter Jan. 4 to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration requesting its workplace safety standards remain consistent with CDC and CMS COVID-19 standards.
OSHA will release its Final Healthcare Standard on COVID-19 in the coming weeks, and some protocols could differ from current CDC standards.
The associations argue that protocols established at the beginning of the pandemic are no longer prudent with the new, less severe COVID-19 variants accounting for most cases and the vaccines and treatments available. They ask OSHA to align protocols with the latest CDC requirements.
In the letter, the associations express concern over how stringent protocols seen at the beginning of the pandemic have detrimental effects on the well-being of residents and staff. They also expressed concern over the monetary effects the protocols could have.