Friday 9/18/2020
Started with a run, felt normal. At 11 I headed out to find model paint. My first and last stop was J&M Hobbies in San Carlos. Two employees wearing masks, nobody else in the store. They’ve been in business over 50 years, and have absolutely everything a modeler could want. Such a resource! I was able to look over racks and racks of paint and pick out a red acrylic that will be just right for the MG.
At 3pm I met with Marcia on the 11th floor to review the status of our volunteer efforts. Everything is going pretty well. There are some questions on proper use of the 11th floor, especially use of the piano for piano practice. We agreed I would present this at Rhonda’s 4pm weekly meeting.
Which I started to do, and 10 seconds into my presentation, my computer lost the internet. By the time I got logged back into Zoom, Rhonda had moved on to give her remarks on the COVID status. Briefly, two staff members from the Lee (nursing) wing have tested positive, are quarantined at home, are sick and other members of their family are sick as well. Our one resident with the virus is isolated and being tended by 3 nurses, who are living in hotel rooms to protect their families.
So I gave my little spiel, reviewing the background of the 11th floor sitters, the reason for them. Basically the 11th floor is off limits because housekeeping cannot disinfect all the furniture there frequently, as they do in the main lobby. I explained that, if there was unrestricted use, you could never be sure that some person with the virus hadn’t sat in any particular chair, or leaned on any table, before you. The chance of infection is very tiny, but can’t be ignored, so the 11th floor is off limits. So the point of the “sitters” is that we have specified tables that you know will be disinfected before you sit down, and will be disinfected after you get up. Thus the floor can be used while a sitter is there.
During the meeting, an attendee broke in with the news that Ruth Bader Ginsburg had died. And everyone’s hearts sank. This is just so depressing. You immediately know that Trump will nominate some troglodyte, the Democrats will try to stall the nomination until after the election, blah de depressing blah. I’m so discouraged about the state of the country. I’m again reviewing the chances of moving to New Zealand. Or some other country with a touch of sanity. Seriously. It would cost a good chunk of the Nest Egg but could be done.
At about 8pm came a new email from staff: tests were administered to all Lee Center residents and staff after yesterday, after the 2 staff and one resident were found positive. Results of those tests came back this evening and, quote “We are sad to report that we have 3 additional residents and 1 additional staff member who have tested positive for Covid-19.
The one staff member was one who had been sent home to quarantine on Friday 9/11, owing to close contact with another staff member who tested positive. So that was no surprise. But three residents? That was not expected and is very serious. There are now 4 cases in the “COVID wing” that was set up months ago and hadn’t been used until last week. Will it stop there? Have they contained it? Only time will tell.
So the sequence was, two staff members had symptoms, were tested, went home, are now sick along with family members. Staff exposed to them were also sent home; one of those has now tested positive. First one resident positive, then three more a week later. Scary.
Codgerville 