Thanks to the resiliency and determination of our Residents and the ongoing resolve of our dedicated Staff to provide the best care and services, the Leadership Team has moved on two action steps related to our COVID-19 response. One to be implemented now; the other will look to early April for its start. 

Starting today for Residents who live independently AND are up to date with vaccinations, Covenant Village is making masks optional. To be “up to date with vaccinations” is defined in the following way: You have received the primary series of vaccinations (Moderna’s or Pfizer’s first two shots), and you have received a subsequent booster shot. 

Covenant Village continues to respond to best position our Residents and Staff to confront the remaining embers of this pandemic. One recent step, made in February, was mandating the COVID-19 Booster Shot for Employees to keep them up to date with vaccinations. 

The Staff’s deadline for the first Booster documentation or Exemption documentation is March 31st. 

As a result, if we achieve 95% of Staff up to date with vaccinations by April 1st, we will make masks optional for Staff who are up to date with vaccinations and who work with Residents outside of the Health Center. 

Staff who work in the Health Center will need to continue to wear appropriate masks until further notice and a change in guidance from the CDC and CMS. 

For Staff, if you have any questions, please reach out to Jenn Barker, Senior Director of Human Resources, for more information or any assistance. 

Off-campus visitors will still be required to wear masks for the foreseeable future.  

COVID-19 Update 

As of this morning, we have no known Resident or Staff cases! Since we are entering allergy season, we do have a few Residents and Staff showing symptoms, but to date all test results have been negative. 

The Health Center remains in “outbreak” status with the State due to not having a clean 28-day window of no new cases. Therefore, they continue to operate on a more limited scale with respect to some group gatherings and activities. 

The independent living portion of the Village is back to normal daily operations, as Staffing levels allow. As you are aware, we continue to be down in Staffing levels for some Departments—notably Food & Nutrition; Housekeeping; and Nursing. As an action step to that end with staffing shortages, Covenant Village was well-represented today at the Gaston College Job Fair! 

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Please continue to monitor yourself and any symptoms. Do not hesitate to call the Arbor Wing Nurses Station (704.917.7857) with any concerns or questions. 

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Covenant Village is strong and resilient, because you are strong and resilient. Even now, we see how Covenant Village is Where Life Is Filled With Promise! 

We will continue to provide the latest information via community memos; Covenant Conversations; the Covenant Village website (www.covenantvillagenc.com); on our Facebook page; and our Resident Portal—Wellzesta.