Some Question Whether Hospital Visitation Bans During Pandemic Were Too Strict By Lesley McClurg May 6, 2021 Kenneth Newton never imagined his mom would die alone. He lives in Petaluma, Calif. Last winter his mother developed a tumor while she was living in a nursing home in Tennessee. Her health declined quickly. Newton longed to visit, but it was against the rules. His mom saw people who delivered food and those who made sure she took her medicine. But otherwise she was alone, though Newton and his four siblings talked with her regularly. Then, last January, they received the dreaded call. His mom had died at age 92 without any family present.