CARP – It is not a surprise the Carp Commons Retirement Village hasn’t had a single case of COVID-19 during the two-month pandemic. It’s a commitment to safety.

The Carp Commons Retirement Village is West Carleton’s largest building. The seniors’ residence has a large and varied workforce serving more than 100 residents. Some of that workforce is shift work. Some of that workforce are food handlers. All of that workforce routinely interacts with the residents.

While the coronavirus has taken a huge toll on institutions and seniors, the Carp Commons has not had to deal with one single case as the seventh week of the state of emergency comes to a close.

Carp Commons staff were quick to act when news of COVID-19 spread. Early in March the building closed to essential people only, far ahead of the curve and long before other senior facilities followed suit.

Around March 15 the Carp Commons Retirement Village started screening visitors and preventing entry to anyone who has travelled outside of Canada in the last two weeks. Residents were restricted to one visitor at a time who had to remain in the host’s suite and wear a mask.

“We were proactive in our protocols to keep residents and team members safe,” Carp Commons Retirement Village Chris Bishop told West Carleton Online today (May 7). “This has been part of our success in not having COVID-19 in our building. All of our residents are safe and happy.”

The pandemic brings a certain kind of stress for those considered essential service staff. Bishop says his team has been handling the extra precautions and duties well.

“Our team at Carp Commons is amazing,” Bishop said. “Lots of changes operationally needed to be made to keep everyone safe. It has been challenging, but the residents and families have been so supportive to the team here.”

As a thank you to the Carp Commons team and its residents, parent company Verve Senior Living honoured those in Carp, and at their other residences across Canada, by having a local artist draw a chalk art mural of thanks.

Local Carp artist Robbie Larivere, also known as Falldown, went to work on the pavement in front of the Carp Commons just yesterday (May 6).

Bishop made sure all the residents got to see his work.

“All of our residents that lived on the back of the building were assigned suites in the front and asked to come to the patios at 1 p.m., he said. “They loved Robbie’s work.”