Dear Residents, Families, and Associates of Byron Park,
We are continuing to move forward in our reopening plan and have some exciting dates to share with you today. This letter will also provide a COVID-19 status update.
We have identified one associate who is positive for COVID19. At this time, the origin of exposure is not known. The associate is stable and will self-isolated at home and will not return to the community until cleared by local health authorities. As a reminder, part of our response to this case includes a full review and notification to any individuals who may have had exposure and close monitoring to follow. Any parties that meet the criteria of exposure were notified prior to you receiving this letter. Based on our current protocols, with associates wearing protective equipment (PPE) following CDC guidelines and weekly testing we are confident of minimal exposure. In accordance with patient privacy laws, additional details about the associate, vaccine status and updates on their condition will be provided only by healthcare authorities if appropriate. Currently, we have no other known cases and will continue weekly testing of all residents and associates as part of our standard testing cadence and to identify any new cases promptly.
Good news, as of today, Contra Costa Counties positivity rate is 1.7% and continues to steadily decline. Almost 75% of Contra Costa County has participated in the vaccine program with 47.6% of our county being partially vaccinated and 27.3% of our county ages 16+ fully vaccinated. We completed our 5th vaccine clinic today and Byron Park is thankful to hold a strong vaccination rate with associates and to have a majority of our residents vaccinated. High vaccination rates, and the protection this offers our residents drives our ability to reopen lifestyle offerings safely.
Byron Park has taken a conscious, staged approach to reopening and will continue to do so with the health and well-being of our residents and associates as top of mind. While community visitation has been ongoing through the pandemic in various ways, we were thrilled to be able to welcome family members back into resident apartments, join community wellness opportunities and enjoy outdoor dining last month. It’s been nice to see many of you!
As a reminder, those who are fully vaccinated (defined as 14 days post final dose of the COVID19 vaccine) are not required to complete an individual COVID19 test prior to visiting. To verify this, your vaccine card needs to be shown upon every visit during this interim period. Those who are not fully vaccinated are also able to visit but are required to have a negative COVID19 test confirmed before entry. Please call the front desk for details on testing. Please note we ship tests out daily and are unable to expedite testing results as this is dependent on shipment couriers and lab availability. As part of our contact tracing plan, all visits to the community must be made in advance by calling the
front desk. We are limiting the number of visitors per day to the community to support social distancing.
This month we are focused on continuing to expand dining by returning the dining room to a more traditional experience. In alignment with the recent Department of Social Services post-vaccination guidance the dining room tables, settings and configuration will return to standard on April 15th, 2021. This means that residents can enjoy sitting with more friends around their table similar to seating arrangements prior to COVID.
We are also excited to announce the long-awaited return of resident day trips! We will be visiting The Ruth Bancroft Gardens and providing lunch packed by Byron Park, reservations are limited and can be made at the front desk. Our weekly resident scenic drives will continue as they have during this past year.
We will continue to focus on innovative, safe, and secure ways to provide an engaging lifestyle while actively monitoring the pandemic and easing restrictions as supported by federal, local, and state guidelines. If you have questions, comments, or concerns please do not hesitate to reach out.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Pastora
Executive Director