Local

Family hopes nursing home visitation restrictions are loosened as state enters phase 2 of reopening

ORLANDO, Fla. — With Florida beginning phase two, one thing that isn’t changing is nursing home visitations, but some people believe restrictions should be loosened.

It’s been three months of separation for some, and there is no timeline for long-term care facilities to allow visitation.

Rachel Scott knows how to deal with change.

Read: Phase 2 in Florida begins: Here’s what can reopen

“My husband Christopher had a stroke six years ago,” she said.

Christopher Scott, the father of eight and grandfather of 10, went from the sturdy patriarch of the family to living in a nursing home, needing help himself.

“He can’t really talk very much … a little bit. He responds a little bit to us,” Rachel Scott said.

After six years of regular visits from family, that routine was spun upside down by the coronavirus pandemic.

Nursing home visits were shut off.

“I don’t think any of us realized three months later we would still not be seeing our family members,” Rachel Scott said.

Shutting down long-term care facilities is something Gov. Ron DeSantis has credited for lessening the impact of coronavirus in Florida.

Last month DeSantis said “to not be able to have that family interaction, I think that’s tough. We gotta figure out a way to deal with that.”

But as we enter phase two of reopening, his office sent the following statement:

“Governor DeSantis has made it clear that protecting Florida's most vulnerable is a top priority. Because of this, visitation to long-term care facilities remains prohibited.”

Rachel Scott started an online petition to hoping it can be figured out soon.

She believes it’s time to find ways to allow face-to-face visitations.

While she’s been able to FaceTime with her husband, she said he doesn’t respond much and he stays in his room.

Read: Next stimulus: What is a payroll tax cut and how much money would it mean to you?

Rachel Scott said her husband looks unkempt and haggard. She’s waiting for the day she can give him a hug and let him know she still cares.

“I do not think he knows to this day why I’m not coming,” Rachel Scott said.

She said she is frustrated that staff can go to the store, a place with crowds of people, put a mask on and walk in while family members are kept away.

Jeff Deal

Jeff Deal, WFTV.com

I joined the Eyewitness News team as a reporter in 2006.

Katlyn Brieskorn, WFTV.com

Katlyn Brieskorn is a Digital Assignment Editor at WFTV. She joined Channel 9 in July 2019.