Three more residents of a Fort Lauderdale assisted living facility who tested positive for the coronavirus have died, bringing the facility's virus-related death toll to six, officials said.
Officials with the City of Fort Lauderdale confirmed the deaths of residents at Atria Willow Wood Thursday, and said a total of 16 people at the facility have tested positive for COVID-19. That number includes the patients who died.
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Eleven residents tested negative and results were pending for two, the facility confirmed.
"Our thoughts are with the families of these residents during this difficult time," Atria Willow Wood said in a statement.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said the facility let staff and outside workers inside near the residents without screening, and brought the disease to them.
“That is exactly what you are not supposed to do," DeSantis said at a recent news conference. He said law enforcement and health officials have been embedded at the facility to monitor the situation.
Atria said in a statement last week that the facility began screening visitors before receiving guidance from the state.
“As soon as the Broward County Department of Health notified us of the first confirmed case, we immediately escalated our protocols,” it said. “The Department of Health was quickly on-site and approved.”