Revere reports 52 cases of coronavirus, including seven at senior facility

Officials in Revere say there have been 52 positive cases of coronavirus in the community, including seven at a senior living facility.

Seven residents at the Jack Satter House on Revere Beach Boulevard tested positive. Five have been hospitalized, one is recovering, and one has died, though the cause of that person’s death has not been officially determined, officials said.

“My heart goes out to the family that has lost their loved one, and to the others who continue to fight the virus,” Mayor Brian M. Arrigo said in a statement Thursday.

“As part of our continued effort to slow the spread of COVID-19 and protect our most vulnerable residents, we are directing further restrictions at Jack Satter House and issuing additional guidance to senior housing facilities across the city. COVID-19 is a highly contagious virus. It is imperative that everyone take measures to stem the spread within our community by staying at home," Arrigo said in the statement.

On Friday, Arrigo reiterated that Revere residents should follow Governor Charlie Baker’s advisory asking Massachusetts residents to stay home to slow the spread of the virus.

“Our city is trending among the highest in the state of positive COVID-19 cases, and we need our residents to do their part and help us slow that trend,” Arrigo said in a statement. “I’m asking the people of Revere to act for others and not just for yourself and your own family. This is not about individuals. It is about our community. The more you are away from your home, the more you endanger the rest of your community, including our first responders and health care workers.”

The city’s health board has issued a directive to Jack Satter House management to immediately implement protocols including quarantine of all the residents within their individual units. The health board is issuing an additional advisory to all other senior housing facilities in the city.

On Friday, Revere’s Office of Substance Use Disorder Initiatives launches launched its first weekly online health and wellness support session, a forum that is open to anyone and will focus on a different topic each week, the city said.

Lou Woolf, president and chief executive of Hebrew SeniorLife, which operates Jack Satter House, said, “Our prayers are with the residents diagnosed with COVID-19, as well as the family that is grieving the loss of their loved one. May their memory be a blessing.”

“We are working closely with the City of Revere to ensure compliance and thorough communication to our residents and staff, as well as the public,” Woolf said in the statement posted on the organization’s website. “Pandemics call for serious measures. We firmly agree with the measures that the City of Revere is taking at this time for senior living communities. We ask everyone to support this measure to keep seniors throughout Revere and across the nation safe.”

The statement laid out a number of measures Hebrew SeniorLife was taking. It said, among other things, that each resident must stay inside their apartment. If a resident leaves the building, they cannot return until the quarantine is lifted. Extra security staff has been hired. Only staff and a limited number of health aides can enter the building. And a staff phone bank has been deployed for daily check-ins with each resident.

“We are working with those staff who may need to be in self-isolation as a result of the confirmed resident cases,” the statement also said.

The facility located on Revere’s oceanside boulevard offers studio, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom apartments to income-qualified residents.