"My mum did catch it, but she pulled through. She feels better now", says a visibly relieved Elisabeth van der Steenhoven. It is "the first time in three weeks" she sees her mum, Irène, an 89 year old resident at the Konviktsgaart. Three weeks Elisabeth describes as harrowing.
The care home, managed by the city, saw an explosion of cases during the second Coronavirus wave in in early December, with 47 cases among the 105 residents, aged 85 years on average. While they had been spared by the pandemic until then, they now had two deaths to deplore. Dominique Lieb, delegate of the City for the Konviktsgaart, says they tried to identify the causes of the surge, to no avail.
During this difficult time, but also in the long months preceding it, the staff had given their all. "They are so tired and still they are doing their best to look after the residents. It's incredible! We are really very impressed", said Elisabeth van der Steenhoven.
To express her gratitude for the cleaners, technical staff, nurses, receptionists and everyone involved, she came up with "a surprise for the personnel working day and night since the beginning of the pandemic."
On Thursday, she unfurled a 3 meter long banner outside the front door to "thank the heroes of the Konviktsgaart", and presented director Marcello Loguercio with a red Superman cape.
To top it all off, Elisabeth contacted the American artist Wafe Akkash to buy his superhero illustration and had 70 copies printed as a very special thank you card for her heroes.
All 105 residents were back in their homes on 31 December, with none remaining in isolation. They will however do another PCR test on 12 January.
