COVID-19 Update | May 7, 2020
Dear Family Members and Friends of The Village:
As the State begins to ease restrictions put in place in response to COVID-19, we here at The Village are taking limited steps to ease restrictions within the community.
This past Wednesday, independent living residents began dining in CHRISTUS Heritage Hall and our main dining room. Dining is limited to 30 residents per seating in each area. Only one chair is placed at each table which means residents are seated 10 to 15 feet apart. Residents must continue to be masked going to and from the dining areas. The Village has also implemented the guidelines found in the Open Texas Restaurant Checklist.
While we continue with daily Mass, residents are not allowed to attend. They continue to watch via closed-circuit television. Once the Archdiocese provides more information on reopening churches we will work within those guidelines. We expect and are planning for, a reservation style system for attending Mass until it is safe to resume Mass as normal. The chairman of the Bishop’s Committee on Worship sent out a plan last week that calls for a three-phase reopening. We look forward to hearing more about the plan.
I think most people would agree that the restriction on visitation has been the most difficult. We need to be with our families. Based on industry experts, and the President’s three-phase plan to reopen America, we would expect to see visitation restrictions eased during Phase 3. As you may be aware, Phase 2 is scheduled to begin on May 18. Phase 3 would follow assuming no COVID-19 rebound after Phase 2.
To a large degree, whatever steps we take moving forward to ease restrictions within The Village are driven by guidance from our local and state governments. However, these steps are not solely based on those directives. We must not let our guard down given the vulnerability of our residents. This is to say, that if a restriction is eased in the general San Antonio population that same restriction may not be eased within the walls of The Village.
Lastly, we have had a few family members of our independent living residents visit with their family members outside of the community. In more than one instance, family members were not masked and not adhering to social distancing. This is not acceptable and risks the health of our residents and employees. As difficult as it is, we must continue to follow the Governor’s Order on visitation. Resident Services is happy to facilitate a Zoom or Skype meeting, or a pre-arranged window visit with your loved one.
The health and safety of our residents and workers must continue to be our number one priority and only in working together can we keep that priority at the forefront. Please be mindful that the actions you take or fail to take can affect those around you.
We all hope that May will be the month we turn the corner in this battle with the virus, seeing fewer cases and hospitalizations. Let that be our prayer for both San Antonio and our world.
Most sincerely,
Paul Harrison
Chief Executive Officer
