Manoir Sherbrooke

the staff to make the necessary adjustments to keep people as safe as possible.

Wednesday’s supervised excursion marks the beginning of a two week trial period where the residents, who are otherwise still isolated in their rooms, will be allowed one hour to move around in one of the residences five parking lots. Although the time outside will be beneficial, even spent behind a mask and at a distance from others, Lavoie acknowledged that it is not really what most of the residents are looking for.

“I talk to residents daily, and they are fed up with the isolation,” the director said, pointing out that the people in the building just passed the 50 day mark of being on their own earlier this week. “What people want is not to go outside, even if that is good, what they want is to go to the dining hall and socialize.”

That reality however, is a long way off.

“I don’t think things in the dining room will ever return to the way they were,” Lavoie said, explain that the

Manoir used to offer a drop-in model for its dining rooms that saw people coming and going at all times of day. Having had to switch to room-by-room delivery in the context of the quarantine, the director said that it is hard to see when things might get back to anywhere near what people would consider “normal.”

“We never want to be back in that situation again,” he said, speaking of the outbreak.

Next week the residence administration will be meeting to reflect on how the situation has developed and make decisions about how best to move forward.

Ongoing struggles aside; Lavoie said he sees the residence as having overcome its greatest challenge.

“We’re succeeded,” he said. “It is truly extrapordinary.”

While Lavoie shared his reflections, some of those walking behind him started to sing as they made their way outside.

For 73-year old Diane Talbot, it was a day to celebrate

“Today I am dancing” she said, her eyes hinting at a smile hidden behind her blue surgical mask.