HOLYOKE, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Eleven people living at the Soldiers’ Home in Holyoke have died. At least five of those veterans had tested positive for COVID-19.
Now, many more veterans at the center are in isolation after also contracting coronavirus. And officials fear the number of cases could increase dramatically.
At least 11 more residents and five staff members have also tested positive, and the results for another 25 are pending.
Gov. Charlie Baker wrote on Twitter, “as someone who has visited the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home on many occasions to catch up with staff and residents, I am heartbroken by today’s news. The loss of these residents to COVID-19 is a shuddering loss for us all.”
The governor went on to say that public health experts are “conducting a thorough review of the health status of staff and residents to plan appropriate next steps.”
Meanwhile, Bennett Walsh, the Soldiers’ Home superintendent, has been placed on an administrative leave.
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