Thanksgiving will be much like the past at Murray Developmental Center after a near shutdown of activities last year due to COVID-19.
Murray Parents Association President Rita Winkeler says residents and their families will be able to celebrate the holiday on or off the Murray Campus.
Winkeler says, “At this point at Murray, we have no active cases of COVID with staff or residents, so we are in “no outbreak” status. With the new rules that have come down from the CDC, there’s really full visitation for everyone, and that’s wonderful. We have several individuals who have already left to go home and spend the weekend with their families. Murray will have the typical Thanksgiving: dinner, turkey, mashed potatoes, green beans, pie, and it’s really wonderful.”
Winkeler says another activity was held for the first time this week since COVID-19 shutdown activities in March of 2000.
Winkeler also says, “They had a Thanksgiving Fall dance, and all the individuals could come, but they brought certain units so they could still make sure they could see who was there to prevent spread just in case. It was fabulous. Individuals were thrilled, they got all dressed up, got their hair done, and it was fabulous. Slowly but surely, we are getting a little bit back to normal.”
Winkeler says parents and relatives still have to check in, have their temperature taken, and have limited contact if a cottage has a quarantined resident. She says they have their fingers crossed COVID will remain under control to allow Christmas to return to normal as well.
Under the current rules and no cases, residents who worked at the Kaskaskia Workshop before COVID are also slowly returning to their jobs.
