MONTREAL -- A staff member and caregiver tested positive for COVID-19 at a Cote-St-Luc long-term care facility that was hit hard during the initial months of the pandemic.
A spokesperson for the regional health authority said a staff member working on the second floor of Maimonides Geriatric Centre and a caregiver on the fifth floor both tested positive for the virus.
All residents who were in contact with the staff member were tested for the virus and other staff who were in contact with the positive case will also be tested.
“In the interim, the unit has been declared a 'warm zone' while residents are monitored for symptoms,” said CIUSSS West-Central Montreal spokesperson Barry Morgan said in an email. “As in the previous case, all staff in contact with the caregiver will be tested and followed by health and safety. We wish to emphasize that the staff member as well as the caregiver were wearing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) while caring for the residents and that we continue to follow Sante Public guidelines and work closely with our infectious disease team.”
Morgan said all residents who were tested received negative results.
According to Quebec health ministry data, there was one resident with a confirmed case of COVID-19 at Maimonides as of Monday.
The facility was subject to criticism from residents' family members during the early months of the pandemic, as the virus spread among residents and staff. In total, 39 people have died of COVID-19 at Maimonides.
On Tuesday, the facility's administration sent out new regulations from the regional health authority to family members following the elevation of Montreal's alert status to orange. The new rules limit access for caregivers to only those residents who require them for “significant assistance” or for end-of-life or humanitarian needs.
