A member of the staff at assisted living facility Spring Arbor of Albemarle has tested positive for the coronavirus.

Keith Ensey, the regional director of operations for H.H. Hunt, the company which owns Spring Arbor, confirmed Monday restrictions have been put in place as a result of a positive test from a member of the staff.

Ensey said the person was not a member of the direct care staff so the person “did not have repeated contact with our residents, which is helpful.”

He said Spring Arbor has been dealing exclusively with the Stanly County Health Department in terms of reporting the positive test. The staff member in question, Ensey said, is practicing self-isolation.

Spring Arbor is not in full lockdown, Ensey added, but said the building is on controlled isolation. During shift changes, all staff members are now coming through one particular point of access, guarded in person by a gatekeeper.

This person will issue a paper questionnaire to each employee regarding their possible exposure to COVID-19. Any staff member with respiratory symptoms like cough will be sent home, Ensey said.

Residents will undergo daily temperature checks and will no longer be eating in a communal dining situation, staying in their respective rooms for meals.

Only staff are being allowed to enter and leave the facility, but measures are in place to allow residents to stay in touch with their families. An iPad with contact info for families will allow residents and families to visit via FaceTime. Ensey said one family had requested to see a resident in person through a window, which he said could be done as well.

Ensey also said Spring Arbor is communicating with families in regards to how they can reduce their exposure to the coronavirus.

The facility also has a good supply of N95 type masks on hand just in case, he added, noting no one in the Spring Arbor community at this time has the signs or symptoms of the virus.

For the immediate future, Ensey said the facility will continue to maintain stringent infection protocols along with hand washing and making sure people maintain distance between each other.