Two residents of The Branches, an assisted living and memory care facility in North Attleboro, have tested positive for coronavirus and are being treated at a local hospital, the company that operates the facility confirmed Friday.
The company, Waltham-based Benchmark Senior Living, gave no information about how the residents had contracted the virus but said they’re both doing well and will remain out of The Branches until public health authorities give them the clearance to return.
Benchmark said nine other residents who may have been exposed to the virus are being quarantined at the three-year-old facility, with nurses checking their temperatures during every shift, while nine employees who may have been exposed were asked to stay away from the property and self-quarantine at home.
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All assisted living residents were asked to remain in their apartments for the time being, while staffers were asked to wear protective gear while delivering care to the residents, according to a statement from Benchmark, which has 28 senior living properties in Massachusetts.
“The health and safety of our residents and associates are always our top priority,” the company statement said.
It’s the second senior living facility in Massachusetts to have a resident contract the virus. Older adults and those with serious underlying medical conditions are at higher risk for COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus.
Cape Cod Senior Residences in Bourne confirmed Friday night that an elderly resident with underlying health conditions had tested positive and was in the hospital being treated. A statement from the organization said it was closely monitoring all residents for symptoms and keeping family members informed. The facility has limited communal meals and group activities, the statement said.
Keeping older residents safe has been a top priority nationally since a severe coronavirus outbreak at a long-term care facility in Kirland, Wash., outside Seattle that has killed 23 people. Investigators found 129 cases of COVID-19 at the Life Care nursing facility there, including 81 residents, 34 staff members, and 14 visitors, according to a report by the Centers for Disease Control.
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Senior living facilities across Massachusetts have been taking extreme precautions, including a strict no-visitor policy, as the coronavirus continues to spread.
Benchmark, which has temporarily closed The Branches to new admissions, is bringing in nurses from other facilities to help out and monitoring all residents and staff for symptoms, a spokesman said.
Officials from the state Department of Public Health did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A spokesman for Benchmark said one resident of The Branches was taken to the hospital last Sunday with symptoms and tested positive for the virus on Tuesday. The second resident also went to the hospital last Sunday for an unrelated medical procedure and showed symptoms there, the spokesman said. The Branches was notified Thursday night that the second resident had tested positive.
State health officials on Friday confirmed the first Massachusetts death from COVID-19, a man identified as an 87-year-old from Winthrop with pre-existing medical conditions that made him more vulnerable. The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the state rose to 413 on Friday, up from 328 the day before, with more than 4,000 tests conducted.
This story has been updated to clarify the status of the Cape Cod Senior Residences residents.
Robert Weisman can be reached at robert.weisman@globe.com.
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