Metro East Sun

State Sen. Terri Bryant (R-Murphysboro) is blasting the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) for waiting until the day before Thanksgiving to issue guidance on visiting long-term care facilities across the state.  

“In case you missed it, IDPH adopted federal guidance for long-term care facility visits 12 days after the federal government put out the guidance and just one day before Thanksgiving,” Bryant recently tweeted. “IDPH had plenty of time to get these guidelines out so people could visit their loved ones during the holiday, yet they waited too long for many. The residents of these facilities should have been able to enjoy the privilege of visiting with their families like the rest of us.”

The Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services first issued updated guidance on Nov. 12, allowing visitation for all residents, at all times.

According to WGEM, while IDPH moved to open up visiting earlier this year, the emergence of the delta variant prompted authorities to limit visitation in long-term care facilities.

Bryant argues she can’t see any way how delays stretching into the holiday can by justified.

“It’s no surprise that Thanksgiving lands on the fourth Thursday of November every year,” she told WGEM. “So they’ve had plenty of time to get these new guidelines out in time for people to visit their family on Thanksgiving.”

Bryant is urging IDPH officials to own up to their mistake and commit to doing whatever it takes to correct it before this holiday season ends.

“Get this resolved before this holiday season is over because the people who are the most vulnerable in our society deserve to have the same privileges as all the rest of us to be able to visit with their families,” she said.