FESTUS, Mo. — Six residents of the long term care facility Festus Manor have tested positive for COVID-19.
The cases make up the majority of the seven new coronavirus cases the Jefferson County Department of Health reported on Sunday.
The condition of the six residents was not provided. Festus Manor said in a statement that isolation and quarantine protocols are currently in place, and team members are undergoing health and temperature screenings before their shifts.
"Resident safety is always our top priority and we are doing everything we can to ensure we stop the spread of COVID-19 within our community," Festus Manor said.
"We are staying in very close communication with local and state health officials to ensure we are taking all the appropriate steps to keep our residents and staff safe."
There are 124 confirmed coronavirus cases in Jefferson County as of Sunday, with three deaths. Four people have recovered from the virus.
“It is important to remember the impact our individual actions can have on our family, friends, and neighbors,” Jefferson County Health Department Director, Kelley Vollmar said in a press release. “We continue to urge residents to stay home and limit contact with others in order to combat COVID-19 in our communities.”
The department of health has more information about coronavirus cases, including an interactive ZIP code map, on its website.
Jefferson County residents who show symptoms or have questions should call the Missouri State Hotline at 877-435-8411 or the Mercy Clinical Support Line at 314-251-0500.
Read the full statement from Festus Manor below:
"We have received confirmation from the Jefferson County Health Department (JCHD) that six individuals at Festus Manor has been diagnosed with COVID-19. Resident safety is always our top priority and we are doing everything we can to ensure we stop the spread of COVID-19 within our community. We are staying in very close communication with local and state health officials to ensure we are taking all the appropriate steps to keep our residents and staff safe.
"We are in contact with our family members and are doing everything we can to support them. We are also doing everything we can to ensure we prevent the spread within our facility through isolation and quarantine protocols. Our staff and residents will continue to adhere to CMS, CDC, local and state guidelines which include highly restrictive guest access as well as the elimination of group functions until further notice.
"We want to assure you that as guidance from local, state and federal agencies change to combat the impact of COVID-19 change, Festus Manor has continuously updated our infection prevention and control policies and our emergency communication plan. As part of this effort, we are taking the same level of precaution with all new admissions and residents returning from the community as well as our team members. If cares for a resident are beyond what we can manage, we will transfer the resident to the hospital. Each team member undergoes a health and temperature screening process prior to staffing a shift, and anyone showing any symptoms whatsoever are sent home and carefully screened before they can return to work once they are feeling better.
"During this extraordinary time, we want to personally thank the tireless work of our direct care workers and the entire team at Festus for the care they provide every day for our residents. In addition, our families, vendors and the entire Festus community have gone above and beyond the call of duty while combatting this virus together. While we have restricted visitors, we continue to create an environment that is as enriching as possible for our residents that includes virtual visits through Facetime and Facebook, ecards, window visits, and a whole host of revised activities focused on social distancing."
More coronavirus cases: