GREENSBURG, Pa. — The Pennsylvania National Guard arrived at a Westmoreland County nursing home Sunday morning to help control an outbreak of COVID-19.
There are 47 confirmed cases among patients at Westmoreland Manor, and 22 staff members have also tested positive.
The guard will take over COVID-19 testing so the employees who aren’t quarantined can get back to caring for patients.
“They’ll be coming in to assist with 24-hour testing at this time. They’ll do further determinations to see what else needs to be done as we move forward,” said Sean Kertes, a county commissioner.
The facility hadn’t had a single resident test positive for the coronavirus in the six months since the pandemic started, but that changed once routine testing of staff became required.
Those who have tested positive are being confined to three of the nine units at the nursing home, which officials are referring to as “red zones.”
Commissioners told Channel 11′s Melanie Gillespie that their priority is protecting residents and staff. They hope these proactive measures help keep the virus from spreading further.
Officials said six members of the National Guard arrived around 6 a.m. Sunday.
The National Guard was deployed to Brighton Rehab in May to help control an outbreak there.
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