GERMANTOWN, Tenn. — Nursing homes and retirement facilities across the Mid-South continue to see more cases of COVID-19.

One of those facilities is The Village at Germantown, which has seven residents and five employees who tested positive. Administrators said they’re doing what they can to stop the spread.

“I’ve been in this business for a very long time, and this is something we have never experienced,” said Rebecca DeRousse, vice president of healthcare at The Village at Germantown.

The retirement community reported that three more residents are in the hospital for COVID-19.

Four residents have already died from the virus.

WREG learned out of 42 employees, five tested positive and are currently quarantined at home, and 16 employees are still awaiting their results.

DeRousse said it’s been a difficult time. 

“We’re used to having visitors in,” she said. “We’re used to having lots of activities and noise and things like that. It’s just a very quiet, somber atmosphere at this time.”

She said they have limited group activities to two people, as long as they’re social distancing.

Testing is also offered to any employee or resident who wants it, even if they don’t have symptoms.

“We are also grieving with these families,” DeRousse said. “I mean we see these residents every day. They become a part of our lives, and it’s very, very difficult for us when these things happen.”

DeRousse said they are doing the best they can to mitigate the situation and keep in communication with the families of residents. She said they have been in contact with the state and local health departments for guidance. 

“We are doing everything that we’re supposed to be doing,” she said. “No one has given us any further directions of things we need to be doing that we are not doing at this point.”

Administrators said as of Friday, no other residents are known or suspected to have been infected.