The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit has rescinded the COVID-19 outbreak at The Village at St. Clair.
The long term care home in south Windsor has been under a COVID-19 outbreak since early December.
According to the health unit, 177 residents tested positive along with 143 staff members.
There were also a number of deaths at the home linked to the outbreak.
Unifor Local 2458 represents the workers at the home.
President Tullio DiPonti says it's great news.
"We welcome that news," says DiPonti. "Obviously our members been affected by this pandemic quite a bit in that home so hearing that they're out of outbreak is news we wanted to hear."
He says the outbreak took a toll on his members.
"I'm glad it's done and over with," says DiPonti. "I just hope that there's lessons to be learned of what happened and we don't repeat them."
Schlegel Villages owns and operates the home.
In a statement the company says, Officials with Windsor-Essex County Health Unit (WECHU) have declared the COVID-19 outbreak at the Village at St. Clair over after results from testing conducted on Monday confirmed there were no new cases and no active cases at the home.
More than 97 percent of residents in the home have also now received at least a first dose of the Moderna vaccine.
“The resolution of the outbreak is thanks to the tireless work of our care teams and the support of our community and healthcare partners. This really was a team effort,” says General Manager Tammy Roberts. “We are also extremely grateful to be able to offer families relief after these difficult weeks, and we look forward to a time when we can welcome even more caregivers back to the home to see their family members.”
Roberts says everyone is continuing to look ahead to the safe return to more normal Village activities for residents, whose routines were altered based on the necessary outbreak protocols. They also look forward to continued collaboration with some of the key partners, such as Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare (HDGH), that have supported the Village throughout the outbreak and the past year.
“The HDGH team is a wonderful, talented and knowledgeable team who took the time to learn our culture, get to know our teams and neighbours,” says Schlegel Villages Chief Operating Officer Paul Brown. “They stood with us shoulder-to-shoulder in the most difficult times, as did the team with WECHU, and we are very appreciative of all that they have done. We look forward to continuing to build on our collaborative work together.”