We have one staff who tested positive with COVID-19 at Shirley Chapman Sholom Home East.  Therefore, we are suspending in-person visits with the exception of essential and compassionate care visits at that location.     We will re-evaluate after we have completed two full rounds of testing of staff and residents with consecutive, negative test results. 

Essential caregivers, compassionate care and outdoor visits continue to be allowed at all Sholom locations. Please note: no “drop-in” visits are allowed.  ALL visits must be scheduled in advance.

For all other Sholom buildings, indoor visits can be scheduled by appointment and fully vaccinated residents may leave their Sholom location without the necessary 14-day quarantine, under most circumstances.

The visitation guidelines provided by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) that Sholom locations will adhere to are as follows:

• Outdoor visits are preferable, where feasible.
• Indoor visits are allowed at all times and for all residents/ tenants (regardless of vaccination status), except for the following circumstances:
  • visitation will be limited due to high risk of COVID transmission including unvaccinated residents, if the facilities COVID-19 county positivity rate is >10% and/ or <70% of residents in the facility are fully vaccinated.
• Vaccinated residents will be able to meet in indoor or outdoor settings with other vaccinated people and can visit with up to one household of non-vaccinated individuals as long as those people haven’t tested positive for COVID-19 or been exposed to someone within 14 days who has the illness.
• Vaccinated residents of long-term care facilities may leave the facility for non-medical appointments with others who are fully vaccinated. If a resident, who is fully vaccinated, chooses to attend a place of worship or other group event, or to shop or eat in public establishments, the resident should follow the core principles of COVID-19 infection prevention. Vaccinated residents do not need to quarantine for 14 days upon return to the facility. MDH strongly encourages attending places of worship or other group events only when the 14-day county percent positivity rate is below 5%.
• Vaccinated residents can hug or hold hands with family members or friends who pay them a visit as long as visitors wear masks and perform proper hand hygiene before and after contact with the resident.
• Unvaccinated residents will be required to quarantine for 14 days after they leave their home, apartment or unit.
  • If residents are in close contact with someone sick with COVID-19, they’ll be quarantined after a visit based on requirements from MDH and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
• Prospective visitors who’ve interacted with a COVID-positive person within 14 days will be turned away, according to the guidance.

Travel

Based on MDH and CDC guidance, Sholom will adhere to the following guidelines related to domestic and international travel:

• Fully vaccinated residents do not need to quarantine following travel. They should be tested 3-5 days’ post travel.  Sholom will provide the testing. Please contact your home care director, housing director or nurse manager to coordinate your testing.

• Unvaccinated residents will be placed on observation/quarantine for 14 days following travel. Residents are encouraged to test 1-3 days prior to travel and 3-5 days’ post travel.  Sholom will provide the testing.  Please contact your home care director, housing director or nurse manager to coordinate your testing.

All Sholom’s locations have completed their second vaccination clinics and ongoing COVID-19 vaccination clinics will be scheduled periodically at Sholom’s various locations for new residents and staff members.

Do I Still Need to Wear a Mask and Social Distance?

YES! We need to continue wearing face masks and maintaining physical distancing to protect others.   You may still contract COVID-19 after receiving the vaccine and you may become ill, however, your symptoms will be less severe.  Additionally, you could have COVID, have no symptoms and possibly pass the virus on to someone else.

You can expect senior care organizations like Sholom, hospitals and clinics to continue to follow these guidelines. Staff will still wear personal protective equipment (PPE) and visitation will be limited in health care facilities, including Sholom.

For the most up to date information, please refer to www.sholom.com and click on the COVID link at the top of the page.

Our priority is to keep everyone safe and healthy. The ultimate goal to ending this pandemic is by vaccinating as many individuals as quickly as possible against COVID-19. Until then, thank you for your continued vigilance to prevent the spread of COVID-19!

Thank you for your commitment to our community. Together, we’re moving toward a COVID-free future.

Barbara Klick, RN, MBA, Sholom CEO