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With senior citizens among the most vaccinated — and most isolated — demographic in the nation, a growing number of proponents are calling for loosened COVID-19 restrictions.

On Monday, the CDC advised that fully vaccinated Americans can gather with other vaccinated people indoors without wearing a mask or social distancing.

Long-term care experts, caregivers and others in Ohio hope the revised federal policy will prompt Gov. Mike DeWine to reopen the state’s senior facilities.

Maggie Fisher, executive director of Williams County Department of Aging, said the main thing keeping local long-term care facilities from opening their doors to residents’ families is the remaining testing requirements.

“Obviously our department would love to reopen as soon as possible,” Fisher said. “We’re hoping with the new guidelines from the CDC that once testing restrictions are lifted we’ll be able to do that.

“We might still do temperature checks and masks and social distancing but we’re prepared to do all those things,” she added.

Some legislators around Ohio are also pushing DeWine to loosen restrictions.

U.S. Rep. Troy Balderson (R-OH) held a press conference Monday at Middleton Senior Living in Granville, along with Executive Director Debbie Hartshorn and Kathryn Brod of LeadingAge Ohio, urging both the federal government and DeWine to reevaluate visitation policies at long-term care facilities.

“Safeguards are one thing, but these ongoing restrictions are simply unnecessary and unfair,” Balderson said. “Just ask the residents here. Some of them are part of our nation’s Greatest Generation … Let’s work to give them their independence back.”

According to the state health department, more than 54% of Ohioans age 80 and older have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. However, only 41.5% of those age 75-79 and 26.7% in the 70-74 age range have been fully vaccinated.

Fisher said on Tuesday that she hadn’t heard anything from either the state or the Area Office of Aging in Toledo regarding when nursing homes may be able to reopen. But she’s optimistic that as more seniors continue to become fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, an announcement may be growing near.

“I believe March 16 (2020) was the first day we were closed, and what we thought might be a month or two has been almost 365 days,” she said. “We’re ready and we’re prepared.”