Lifting Federal Visitation Restriction and COVID-19 Infections in Nursing Homes

Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recommended restricting visitors from entering nursing homes as a precaution. The restriction was lifted on September 17, 2020. This study examines whether COVID-19 infection rates among residents increased after the lifting of the federal restriction, providing indirect evidence on the impact of introducing visitation restrictions.