Earlier this week, families, friends, staff and residents at Country Village in Woodslee received some good news: the outbreak at the home was declared over by the Windsor Essex County Public Health Unit on May 19.

Parkview Manor in Chesley also received similar news coming out of outbreak on May 18.

In addition, over the past week a large number of our homes have completed their universal testing and have reported no positive COVID 19 cases.

While provincial and federal health authorities and governments are cautiously optimistic that the curve is beginning to flatten, and the province has begun to reopen its economy, we know that the landscape surrounding COVID-19 is still shifting and evolving.

For those like us in the long-term care sector, the declared end to an outbreak is not truly the end. It simply means that now, more than ever, we must be vigilant and cautious in how we maintain our health and safety measures.

We know families will continue to be encouraged and relieved by these good news stories and will likely hope for physical interactions with their loved ones in the near future. We are however, maintaining our protocols, including limiting access to our facilities to essential personnel only, to ensure recovered homes like Country Village and Maple View remain protected and free of this devastating virus.

Our priority is to ensure that our home remains free of COVID-19, and we are continuing our efforts to protect the health and safety of our residents, staff and their loved ones.