More than 100 residents and staff of a nursing home in Sumner County, Tennessee have tested positive for the coronavirus, Gov. Bill Lee’s office said Sunday.
Lee’s COVID-19 Unified Command said Friday that it had transported 23 residents of the Gallatin Center for Rehabilitation and Healing to the Sumner Regional Medical Center. On Sunday, results showed an additional 59 residents and 33 staff members had tested positive for COVID-19.
All infected residents were transported to the nearby medical center while staffers are now isolated at home. The National Guard was deployed to the nursing home Saturday to perform tests on all residents and staff members.
According to WSMV, two of the residents who tested positive have died. Sumner County Mayor Anthony Holt said there are a total of 179 confirmed cases in the county.
“Unified Command has worked in partnership with the Gallatin Center for Rehabilitation and Healing and local partners in testing residents, transporting the sick and further evaluating those at risk,” Unified Command Director Stuart McWhorter said in a statement. “This situation has escalated quickly and we urge nursing homes and assisted care facilities to reach out to us as soon as cases are identified within their populations.”
Mayor Holt announced Monday that he was extending his “Safer at Home Declaration” through April 7, which urges residents to limit movement outside of their homes to essential activity.
“If you observe people congregating in large groups and acting in an irresponsible manner, please report this activity to your local law enforcement agency and/or state health department. We all have a responsibility to work together to counteract the spread of this potentially deadly virus,” said Holt.
Gallatin Center said it will transfer all of its residents to a local hospital while it conducts a “facility-wide terminal cleaning.”
“This means that we will be transferring our patients to a local hospital prior to the cleaning for a 2-3 day stay. When we know what hospital your loved one will be transferred to, we will reach out to you via phone call to share this information with you,” the nursing home said in a statement. “We look forward to welcoming back our patients and staff to Gallatin Center.”
Gov. Lee issued an executive order March 22 that temporarily restricts visitors from entering nursing homes and assisted living facilities.
As of Monday, Tennessee had 1,834 confirmed COVID-19 cases, 148 hospitalizations, and 13 deaths. The state has tested 23,304 individuals for the virus, according to the Tennessee Department of Health.
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Anthony Gockowski is managing editor of The Minnesota Sun and The Ohio Star. Follow Anthony on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected]
