PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — It worked for the NBA, and now it's working for a local senior community.
La Posada in Palm Beach Gardens has come up with their own version of the "bubble."
"Life for me is busy, it’s always busy," said Noel Trachtenberg.
Trachtenberg is one of more than 200 residents at La Posada, living in a bubble of sorts.
"Last night we had the Hanukkah dinner and one of our residents said the blessing over the menorah," Trachtenberg said.
The 77-year-old said being able to safely interact with other residents has kept her and others from feeling alone this holiday season.
"Looking at the NBA bubble that was created, we kind of modeled that from our residents, since we are sitting here on 22 acres. How can we create that safety bubble here?" said Brad Cadiere, the executive director of La Posada.
Cadiere said it starts with pool testing.
"Instead of doing a hundred individual samples, takes five days, six days. I can do 100 tests on that pool of saliva. The results come back and I’ll know everyone in that pool is negative," Cadiere said.
If a test comes back positive, the pool will quarantine while everyone is tested to determine who had the positive result.
Cadiere said social distancing and masks are still required. However, he said this pool system allows for family visits and more group activities.
"It really has changed the dynamic, I’ve seen reinvigoration of our residents. It’s been a wonderful thing," Cadiere said.