Essential Caregivers Act (H.R. 3733)

For nearly a year during the pandemic, long-term care residents were locked away from their loved ones under a federal ban on access in all but a few limited circumstances. Even though safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines prompted easing of these restrictions starting in March 2021, the ongoing spread of the delta variant has spurred outbreaks and a return to isolation for elders and people with disabilities across the country.

While often described as “visitation bans,” these lockdowns deprive residents of the unpaid, informal, but still vital caregiving tasks that family and friends have always provided in nursing homes and other long-term care settings — along with the simple dignity and pleasure of human contact and conversation.