More than 20 state legislative Democrats want Gov. Andrew Cuomo to lift remaining restrictions for visits in nursing homes.

Given the myriad of ways the state failed senior citizens in nursing homes during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, the legislators’ request should be considered carefully given that COVID-19 has been proven to spread quickly through nursing home facilities.

In our opinion, Cuomo should work with the legislators and nursing homes to open up visitation. It can still be difficult to make appointments to visit with a loved one in a nursing home, and families who are used to spending hours with their loved one find visits limited to 30 or 45 minutes. And policies vary among nursing homes, making things confusing for many families.

“Obviously states need to have control over out-of-control public health emergencies,” state Sen. Rachel May, D-Syracuse, told The Associated Press. “Barring that it seems to me that if your nursing home is your home you should have the right to visit your person and that should be pretty basic.”

May is right — especially in cases where both the nursing home resident and their family are vaccinated. Cuomo should pay heed to the Democrats’ request and come up with clear guidance for nursing homes — and then follow up to make sure the guidance is followed.