Page 3 - Devon Barill News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

Primary Content Caption Long-term care visitation has been restricted by Gov. Brian Kemp’s executive order and under federal guidelines. Credit: Pexels/Stock photo A committee of the Georgia House, despite industry opposition, passed a bill Monday allowing people to visit patients in hospital and long-term care facilities during a public health emergency — like the current pandemic. House Bill 290 would allow a “legal representative,’’ usually a loved one, to visit a patient or resident for a minimum of an hour a day, if that person meets a facility’s safety standard...

The nation is currently in the midst of such an emergency — the COVID-19 pandemic. The original version of the “Right to Visit’’ legislation, House Bill 290, would have prevented these facilities from getting or renewing their licenses if they maintained a policy to keep visitors away from patients during a “declared public health emergency.” The new version, as outlined by Rep. Ed Setzler, R-Acworth, would put more limits on those visits. The changes were made after intense lobbying from the health care industry. Instead of the more wide-open proposal, the revis...