State to limit Veterans homes visitors

Mar. 13--Visitors to Pennsylvania's six veterans' homes will be restricted for the foreseeable future in order to protect the health of residents and staff members against coronavirus, the Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA) announced Thursday afternoon.

The only exceptions will be in compassionate cases, when residents' health becomes "severely critical," according to the DMVA. In those cases, each visitor will be subjected to a brief health assessment and will only have access to the room of the resident they're visiting.

"Our residents are predominantly older and many have multiple complex health conditions, so we are taking this extra precaution to minimize their risk of exposure to COVID-19," Maj. Gen. Anthony Carrelli, head of the DMVA, said in a statement. "We realize family and friends want to spend time with their loved ones, but we hope they understand that this temporary inconvenience is prudent and necessary to minimize the risk of exposure. We apologize in advance and thank everyone for their cooperation."

The restrictions are being imposed as a precautionary measure, according to the DMVA. As of Thursday afternoon, there were no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in any of the state's veterans' homes. The restrictions mimicked those of the federal Department of Veterans Affairs, which as of Thursday afternoon was not allowing visitors into any of its 134 nursing homes across the United States.

Relatives of residents are encouraged by the DMVA to contact the clinical treatment teams at each home with any questions or concerns.

The nearest veterans' home to Johnstown is the Hollidaysburg Veterans Home in Hollidaysburg, Blair County. Others are located in Philadelphia, Scranton, Erie, Pittsburgh and Spring City, Chester County.

The homes provide residency to more than 1,300 eligible military veterans and their spouses.

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