For the first time in months, most nursing homes across New York State will start allowing visitors back inside their facilities Friday .
People haven't been able to visit their loved ones and friends due to lingering concerns about the spread of coronavirus. At facilities in locations where the COVID-19 transmission rate is under 5 %, rapid testing for the virus is suggested but not mandatory. But visitors will still be banned from nursing homes in communities where the infection rate is over 10 %.