Health Protection Guidelines for Nursing Homes during COVID-19 Pandemic

The elderly are high risk population of COVID-19 due to worse prognosis and higher mortality risk after virus infection accompanied with lower immunity or chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, or cardiovascular disease. The nursing home is recognized as a key place for prevention and control of COVID-19 which is susceptible to clustering infection because a large number of the elderly are relatively concentrated and environmental health facilities are poorer. Therefore, National Institute of Environmental Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (NIEH, China CDC) organized experts to formulate the Health Protection Guideline for Nursing Home during COVID-19 Pandemic. The guideline provides technical guidance for nursing homes to carry out effective prevention and control measures from perspectives of facility hygiene and personal protection, proposing corresponding measures for environmental cleaning and disinfection, indoor ventilation, waste disposal, hand hygiene, etc.