As a nursing home physician, I find it unconscionable that, despite the recent significantly increased availability of COVID-19 testing, the guidelines for testing in these facilities with the most vulnerable people have not changed.

As we all know, the virus will enter from the outside. At this time, I am unable to screen the staff nor the residents unless they have symptoms or have been in contact with a known case. Since many people carry the virus without symptoms, the present guidelines are woefully deficient and will lead to more needless deaths.

Additionally the definition of an outbreak as three positive cases is ridiculous. One case is an outbreak.

I demand that the Maine Center for Disease Control make changes to its policies.

Stephen Sokol, Lewiston