Despite the 80% death rate among COVID-19 patients in nursing homes, Tim Walz reaffirmed his stance on allowing COVID patients into nursing homes.

During Gov. Tim Walz's tenure during the COVID-19 pandemic, Minnesota's most vulnerable population suffered greatly, with 80% of COVID-related deaths occurring in long-term care facilities such as nursing homes and assisted living centers.

Nursing homes in several states have been criticized for allowing COVID-19 patients to be readmitted after they were discharged from hospitals.

The policy that was previously accessible on the Minnesota government website is no longer available and can only be retrieved through the Wayback Machine.

Patients with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 who still require transmission-based precautions for COVID-19 can be transferred to congregate living facilities, according to the policy obtained by the Wayback Machine.

According to MDH, patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 can be discharged from the hospital when clinically indicated, without the need for either the discontinuation of transmission-based precautions or the establishment of two negative COVID-19 tests prior to discharge.

In May 2020, long-term care facility residents accounted for over 80% of the state's COVID-19 fatalities.

Despite this data, Walz doubled down on the policy after the fact.

The Democratic governor stated in May 2020 that everyone was doing this, it was not a mistake, and there was complexity in how to handle it, despite no one thinking about it.

A Star Tribune report revealed that nursing homes felt they were not given priority when it came to receiving personal protective equipment (PPE), which was crucial for safeguarding both staff and patients from contracting the virus.

The Department of Health in the state informed providers in April that their emergency stockpile of N95 masks was reserved for hospital settings only and that they should wait until their supplies had dwindled to zero to three days before requesting more gear, according to the report.

The state suggested nursing homes to consider using nonmedical cloth masks and to seek donations from local communities.

The issue was widespread during the early stages of the COVID pandemic.

"According to David Grabowski, a health care policy professor at Harvard Medical School, who spoke to The Atlantic in April 2020, nursing home residents receive only half of the resources and attention they deserve, despite accounting for roughly half of the deaths. This indicates that their lives are not valued as much as others."

Nursing home residents' families have expressed their dissatisfaction with the lack of notification about COVID-19 cases in nursing homes, preventing them from saying goodbye to their loved ones. Walz's administration advised against removing nursing home residents for visits to their families.

Minnesota's Department of Health advises against families bringing long-term care facility residents to their homes during the current period. The recommendation applies regardless of whether residents have previously been diagnosed with COVID-19 or have recently tested negative for the virus.

Other states have faced similar criticism over their nursing home policies.

In 2020, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo ordered nursing homes to take in patients suspected of having COVID-19, a move that drew intense criticism. Under Cuomo's policy, nursing homes were not allowed to inquire about a patient's COVID status before accepting them.