May 6, 2022 —Kendal at Ithaca has been experiencing the ups and downs reflected in the community at large with respect to COVID. At one point we had a small cluster of positive rapid test results among residents living independently who had dined together. This triggered three consecutive rounds of testing of all independent residents, with a final tally of 16 positives. The last series of testing found no new positive results. No serious illness presented and all are now released from quarantine.
As of today, the good news is we have not had any new cases reported among Independent Living Residents. We have not been so fortunate among Health Center residents and staff. We have had a total of 7 Health Center residents test positive since 4/25. Four have been released from quarantine. We’ve also had three staff and a private aide test positive this week, all with duties in the Health Center. We’re testing frequently and working closely with the New York State Department of Health epidemiologist.
Visitation at Cascadilla and Taughannock House are both permitted however all visitors should adhere to the following guidelines:
-A mask should be worn for the entire duration of the visit
-Visitors should socially distance from all staff and other residents
-Visitors should follow appropriate hand hygiene/ hand washing
Visitors to Taughannock House need to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test from the previous 24(rapid antigen)/48(PCR) hours.
We urge everyone to continue to exercise caution and best practices. We’ve all sensed some relief from the restrictions and have been a little careless. We watched the numbers move back up and Tompkins County is now considered to be a high transmission area. Thankfully, the weather is improving and we can enjoy being outside and more easily spaced. Please be well.
Betsy Schermerhorn