Dear Residents and Families of Birch Bay Retirement Village,

On January 7th, we were notified that one of our non-healthcare staff members had tested positive for COVID-19. This staff member has had no recent close contact with Birch Bay Village residents or staff. The staff member will remain in quarantine and will not return to work at BBV until cleared by MDI Hospital following CDC guidance. The CDC has not asked Birch Bay to make any changes to visitation at this time.

Please do your part and remain vigilant. As expected, the Omicron variant is very contagious, and many new cases of COVID-19 have developed since the Christmas and New Year’s holidays. The good news is that the vaccine and booster shots are working to mitigate the likelihood and seriousness of COVID-19, if an infection occurs.

Vaccination with boosters, when eligible, remain our best protection in preventing serious illness or death. Be sure that your family and friends continue to get vaccinated and boosted. Please remember that even after you do get vaccinated, we all need to continue to protect ourselves and others by wearing a mask, social distancing, monitoring for symptoms, and practicing good hand hygiene.

Keeping our residents and staff healthy is my biggest priority. Thank you for your continued diligence and support. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me.

Sincerely,

Peter Sullivan, Executive Director, Birch Bay Retirement Village