Virus tests are not required for nursing home inspectors

BALTIMORE (AP) — State health surveyors who’ve been visiting Maryland’s nursing homes during the coronavirus pandemic are not required to be tested for the virus.

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The Baltimore Sun reported Friday that the lack of such a requirement concerns among some in that industry.

“We have long advocated for the state to require the testing of health care inspectors, the same way they require testing of those who provide the health care,” said Joseph DeMattos Jr., president of the Health Facilities Association of Maryland, which represents some of the centers.

“They are going to multiple centers,” he added, “at the same time we are telling operators to discourage employees from working at more than one center.”

The surveyors work with nursing homes and other senior living facilities to ensure they follow proper federal guidelines for residents’ safety.

Charles Gischlar, a spokesman for the Maryland Department of Health, confirmed that the surveyors are not tested by the state. But he said the surveyors “are screened upon entry to the office,” he said.

“Additionally, surveyors comply with the screening requirements of facilities when they go on site for surveys,” he said.

The department would not disclose whether any surveyors had self-reported positive tests. The department cited “patient confidentiality.”