WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) - Many long-term care facilities in Delaware have not begun conducting universal testing for COVID-19 under a plan outlined by the governor earlier this month, according to state officials.
About one-quarter of long-term care facilities have yet to initiate the process, state health officials told The News Journal.
“We really have to lean into it, and so do they - the operators of those nursing homes,” Gov. John Carney said last week. “It’s about protecting their workers and most importantly those residents since they’re the most vulnerable.”
Carney announced May 5 that the state would perform testing on all residents and staff members who live and work in long-term care facilities. On Friday, he announced the testing would become mandatory June 1.
Cheryl Heiks, executive director of the Delaware Health Care Facilities Association, told the newspaper facilities had gotten limited, piecemeal guidance from the state. She also said long-term care facilities faced challenges in some cases obtaining consent for the tests.
The American Health Care Association estimates it will cost the state $1.34 million to test every nursing home resident and staff member one time.
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