After months of being apart from her family due to the coronavirus pandemic, 84-year-old Marilyn Ramsey sat face to face with them.

"It's heartbreaking honestly to not be able to give her a hug," said her granddaughter, Gina Goff. "She's just so special to us."

What You Need To Know


  • NYSDOH is allowing visitation at nursing homes
  • Strict guidelines must be followed including having visits outdoors
  • If visitors plan to come indoors, nursing homes must document temperature checks 

Briarwood Manor assisted living facility was one of many senior living facilities that stopped all visits back in March until the New York State Department of Health gave administrators permission to resume this week.

Barriers were set up to maintain social distancing, and Ramsey's granddaughter says she felt much closer to her loved one now in comparison to these last three months.

"We'll take what we can get," added Goff.

Whether the visits are happening indoors or outdoors, Briarwood Manor Vice President Mark Ferreri says there are some strict state guidelines they must follow.

"We'll look very different," said Ferreri. "There has to be designated visitation areas. They prefer that it is outside.”

Anyone entering a senior living facility can expect to be screened, asked for contact information, and have their temperature checked. Nursing homes will have to keep thorough documentation and ask if a visitor has traveled to any of the states on Governor Cuomo's list.