Green Acres Employee Tests Positive for COVID-19

On the same day Governor Gretchen Whitmer extended her “Stay Home, Stay Safe” order, families of residents at Green Acres in Lowell received letters informing them an employee of the facility had tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday. It is Lowell’s first publicly known case of the disease, which is caused by a novel coronavirus.

The letter noted an employee experienced a headache and gastrointestinal issues on April 7. The person immediately went into quarantine and contacted their physician. They were diagnosed with COVID-19 and will not be allowed to return to work until cleared by medical professionals.

Paul Wyman, director of operations for Green Acres Retirement Living of Lowell, confirmed an employee did test positive, but he did not have any information regarding the person’s travels or suspected infection location. The facility is currently following all CDC and Health Department guidelines.

“We are doing everything we can to safeguard and protect both residents and staff,” Wyman told Lowell’s First Look in an email. “We would welcome facility-wide COVID-19 testing by any state or local health department.”

An email to the Kent County Health Department asking whether all residents and staff would be tested for COVID-19 was not returned prior to the publication of this article.

Green Acres has informed families that if they are uncomfortable with their loved one remaining at the facility for the time being, they can be transferred for temporary care elsewhere. For those who remain at the facility, Green Acres will continue to restrict outside visits as they have done in recent weeks.

If and when additional information becomes available from the Health Department, this article will be updated.

Kent County COVID-19 Statistics

Although this is the first known case of COVID-19 in Lowell, it may not be the only one. Some government officials have said it’s best to assume the coronavirus is everywhere since people may be infected for days prior to symptoms appearing.

As of this writing, the Kent County Health Department reports 233 total cases of COVID-19 in the county, and nine people have died. The county reports 27 cases are located in southern Kent County, which includes Lowell, while another two other cases are marked as location unknown.

COVID-19 presents most often with a cough, fever and shortness of breath. While older individuals and those with underlying health conditions seem to be especially susceptible to severe or fatal cases of the disease, there are reports of otherwise healthy, younger people dying from it. In Kent County, there are currently cases in every age group, and they are somewhat evenly distributed among adults.

Age Group	Number of Kent County Cases (4/9)
0-10	3
10-19	3
20-29	37
30-39	27
40-49	41
50-59	39
60-69	30
70-79	21
80-89	34
90+	5

In order to slow the spread of coronavirus and prevent health care systems from becoming overwhelmed, Governor Whitmer has issued an Executive Order mandating all residents remain home except for essential tasks such as grocery shopping and outdoor exercise. Those who do go out need to observe social distancing standards which require remaining six feet away from others. Businesses have been required to close their doors unless they provide what is considered an essential service. The order remains in effect until April 30.