On July 1, 2020, the Pennsylvania Department of Health and Gov. Wolf issued a 14-day quarantine recommendation for any individual returning to PA from any of 19 states.  The Department expects to adjust the list from time to time to reflect the rise or decrease in COVID-19 cases in states around the country.

Health care practices and facilities should consider modifying their patient and employee COVID-19 policies to reflect this new guidance.  Similarly, if health care practices or facilities have implemented Patient Notice and Acknowledgment Forms, these should be updated to reflect the new guidance.  All patient and employee screening efforts should include a question regarding travel to or from these states in the prior 14-day period.

Individuals returning from travel to states on PA’s travel list should “stay in their quarantine location for the full 14 days and avoid interacting with anyone including those in their household.”   However, this is currently a recommendation from the Department, not a requirement.

If you have any questions regarding how this new guidance applies to your practice or facility, please do not hesitate to contact us.  To subscribe to the Health Care Law Matters Blog for updates, please click here.