Most nursing homes in the region are screening or limiting visitors to make sure vulnerable residents are not exposed to the coronavirus.

The Washington state Department of Health has urged all long-term care facilities to take aggressive actions to reduce the risk of infection. Local administrators said they are closely following the state’s guidelines to protect their people from a virus that led to fatalities on the west side of the state.

At Prestige Care in Clarkston, all vendors, medical professionals and staff members are being screened before entering the facility. Administrator Bill Connell said no family members are being allowed inside at this time, unless a resident is in hospice or at the end of life. Even then, the guests must pass the screening and have to be older than 18.

“We’re screening everybody,” Connell said Thursday. “We are screening the entire staff at every shift. You can’t walk past the nurse’s station without getting your temperature taken, myself included.”

Evergreen Estates, on the Tri-State Memorial Hospital campus, is also limiting access to visitors, based on the state guidelines. Those restrictions will remain in effect until at least April 9, according to a news release issued this week.

Pete Camerlo, Evergreen Estates executive director, has sent out a letter to all residents and their family members outlining the policies. Some of the restrictions include requiring all visitors to be an adult with a valid government-issued identification, limiting visiting lengths to one hour, taking the temperature of every visitor who enters the facility, and not allowing those with a 100.4 temperature or higher to enter.

Because Evergreen Estates does not have any cases of influenza or COVID-19, occupants are not being isolated, according to the news release.

At the Idaho State Veterans Home in Lewiston, volunteers at the door are asking visitors four questions before anyone is allowed inside. The questions range from any signs of illness to recent travel to an area where an outbreak occurred.

“We don’t have coronavirus here, and we don’t want it,” Veterans Home Administrator Mark High said.

Resident safety is a top priority, High said, and the Veterans Home has been in close contact with local and state health departments, as well as the CDC, to monitor the coronavirus situation.

“We have reinforced to our staff that anyone who is sick should stay home,” according to a statement from the state’s Division of Veterans Services provided to the Tribune at the Lewiston site.

“We are following the same basic procedures used during flu season: handwashing, using alcohol-based hand sanitizer and covering coughs. We are limiting contractors and visitors, including family members who are sick.”

Life Care Center in Lewiston is scanning visitors at the door and asking several questions before allowing people inside, officials said.

Several skilled nursing facilities have posted updates about visitation rules on their websites, including EmpRes Royal Plaza in Lewiston. They are asking visitors to stay away if they do not feel well, have a fever, cough, sore throat or shortness of breath or have traveled to an area where a coronavirus outbreak has occurred.

To date, no coronavirus cases have been reported at nursing homes in this region, officials said.

Sandaine may be contacted at kerris@lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2264. Follow her on Twitter @newsfromkerri.