MOORE COUNTY — Soon but not yet … that’s the update from the Lynchburg Nursing Center (LNC) when we recently asked about re-opening the facility to visitors.

This week, Governor Bill Lee gave the green light to Tennessee nursing homes to re-open to visitor on Monday, June 15 … but with a new set of guidelines. It is the meeting of those guidelines that will determine the eventual LNC opening date, according to Executive Director Cheryl Pendergrass.

Some of those are controlled by the Tennessee Department of Health (TDH) guidance, she said.

Prerequisites to re-open include testing of all staff and residents and no new COVID-19 cases in the previous 28 days. In these cases, LNC meets the criteria of those two but an additional benchmark, the overall stability of the disease burden present in the community, is a THD call.

Pendergrass says she and her staff are working with THD officials to determine if and when the Governor’s guidelines are met. One of those guidelines is based on the recent number of COVID-19 cases in the county, Pendergrass says.

Even when the local nursing center opens, they will still limit visitation based on state guidelines. Visitors must make an appointment and limit the duration of the visits. Visitors will be asked to wear masks and maintain appropriate social distance. All visitors will also be screened for temperature upon entering.

“We, at Lynchburg Nursing Center, will continue to work diligently to ensure that the safety and health of our residents is maintained while doing all we can to enable our residents to enjoy visits with their loved ones,” Pendergrass added. “Here at Lynchburg Nursing Center, we feel like family, and the residents and staff alike are excited about seeing loved ones again soon.”

Pendergrass says she and her staff are finalizing a re-opening plan and hope to welcome visitors as soon as possible. For more information, contact the Lynchburg Nursing Center at 931-759-6000. •

{The Lynchburg Times is the only independently owned and operated newspaper in Lynchburg. We cover Metro Moore County government, Jack Daniel’s Distillery, Nearest Green Distillery, Tims Ford State Park, Motlow State Community College, Moore County High School, Moore County Middle School, Lynchburg Elementary, Raider Sports, plus regional and state news.}