NY A11101

Allows nursing home residents to designate one individual as an "essential person" (family member, attorney in fact, or health care proxy) who regularly provided assistance at least three days per week before or during the COVID-19 emergency.

Grants essential persons unrestricted access and visitation rights to nursing home residents in order to provide necessary aid including feeding, hygiene, mobility, dressing, emotional support, and medication assistance.

Requires nursing homes to provide weekly COVID-19 testing for essential persons at no cost and mandate use of personal protective equipment (PPE) while on facility premises during the state disaster emergency.

Prohibits essential persons who test positive for COVID-19 from entering the facility for 14 days and requires self-quarantine; allows return only after the 14-day period with proof of negative test result and no symptoms.

Establishes essential person designation as a patient right under Public Health Law § 2803-c and automatically repeals testing requirements upon termination of the COVID-19 state disaster emergency declared by Executive Order 202 of 2020.