Dear Residents and Family Members,
As some of you may be aware, the Governor and the NYS Department of Health have issued guidance for nursing facilities to finally begin allowing visitation to resume, as well as allowing some limited activities and communal dining. This is certainly welcome news and we are encouraged by the progress, however, the guidance is quite strict and many factors must be met to allow visitation to commence.
One of the more difficult requirements is the necessity to have had no positive resident or employee COVID-19 test results within the past 28 days. We have been blessed throughout this pandemic in that none of our residents have tested positive. We have had several employees test positive, the most recent of which we learned about was tested on July 1st. Therefore, we are not permitted to commence visitation before July 29th. Furthermore, should we receive any additional positive results from our ongoing weekly employee and resident testing, that date may continue to be pushed out further. We will keep you apprised continuously if the dates change going forward.
Additionally, once we do get to the point of allowing visitors, any positive test results received will again shut down visitation for another 28 days. As well, there will be many restrictions such as limits of two visitors per resident, strict social distancing enforcement, mask requirements, etc. We will provide specific guidance as we approach the date we are allowed to reopen (currently July 29th).
We are encouraged with the relaxation of the visitor ban and understand the strong desire for loved ones to visit as soon as possible, however the health and safety of all our staff and residents take precedent. As such we must continue to be vigilant and follow the guidance as offered by the Department of Health.
As mentioned above, I will be sending out more specific guidance regarding visitation closer to the end of the month, and will keep you informed of any changes to the proposed reopening date.
Thank you so much for your continued understanding and incredible support.
Warm regards,
Steve Smyth
Executive Vice President & Administrator
