Four cases of the new coronavirus have been confirmed at Ashton Gardens Gracious Retirement Living, a retirement community on Ocean Avenue in Portland.
A spokesman said Saturday that all symptomatic residents and staff are being tested for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, and that residents have been asked to shelter in their apartments to slow infection.
“Our heartfelt wishes go out to all members of our community and their families who have been affected by this virus,” the spokesman, Adam Bryan, said in an email.
The last positive test for a resident was on April 2, Bryan said.
Robert Long, spokesman for the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said on Saturday that the public health agency has been working with Ashton Gardens since March. He noted that the cases at Ashton Gardens are in separate residential units, and not a congregate setting, a potential advantage in terms of infection control.
Starting in mid-March, Ashton Gardens’ parent company, Hawthorn Senior Living, upped precautions in the senior living communities it operates across numerous U.S. states, Bryan said. That includes stringent disinfecting protocols, controls on food service, and a ban on nonessential visits.
Long-term care facilities across the state have seen a surge in cases, and several deaths, even as social-distancing measures appear to be slowing the spread of COVID-19 across the state.
Dr. Nirav Shah, director of the Maine CDC, said Friday that 112 residents and 52 staff members have tested positive at five facilities across Maine: Falmouth by the Sea, the Augusta Center for Health and Rehabilitation, the Maine Veterans’ Home in Scarborough, Tall Pines in Belfast and The Cedars in Portland. Nine deaths have been recorded at those facilities.
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