How Santa Rosa County Caregivers of Seniors Are Working to Prevent Coronavirus Spread

Local groups and institutions charged with caring for seniors are on high alert after Santa Rosa County, Fla., officially posted its first confirmed case of the coronavirus, reports Northwest Florida Daily News . The infected man is being treated under quarantine at Baptist Hospital in Pensacola. With the virus expected to continue spreading in the United States and elsewhere, Santa Rosa County nursing communities and senior centers are taking additional precautions to prevent infections among residents. The Sandy Ridge Health and Rehabilitation Center in Milton, for example, is deploying new procedures for outside visitors. "We've done away with our typical sign-in sheets and now have a sign-in sheet where they have to put their name and fill out a questionnaire. And if they check 'yes' on any of the boxes, they're told not to visit the home," said Sandy Ridge Administrator Ashley Hodge. Meanwhile, Council on Aging West Florida Communications Director Josh Newby said the council is working with partners, caregivers, and seniors to raise awareness of precautionary measures.