Raphi Bloom, director of fundraising and marketing, said: "We admitted a gentleman to the unit on March 11.

"Having come into our care from hospital free of symptoms, four days later he developed symptoms of Coronavirus and returned to hospital the following day.

"We were then informed that he tested positive.

"For the time being, we will not be admitting anyone to, or discharging anyone from, this unit, and we have taken advice from Public Health England who state that it is NOT necessary for any staff who have been in contact with this gentleman to self-isolate.

"This is only required if they should develop symptoms. No other patients, or residents of Heathlands Village are showing any symptoms, nor any staff member.

"The advice is simply that we continue to follow the hand hygiene and infection control measures already in place.

"We have face-masks available for staff use should Public Health England at any time direct us that these need to be used - this is only necessary if we are caring for someone with symptoms of the virus."

Heathlands Village has been put on a complete lockdown, with no visitors allowed in, and 98 per cent of administration staff working from home.

Mr Bloom has urged the wider Jewish community to support the more vulnerable sectors of society during the pandemic.

He said: "We need extra volunteers to call on those we support - whether it be to take shopping to them or taking them to doctors and hospital appointments.

"We need all the help we can get, and are appealing to the community to give whatever time they can.

"If this goes on for many, many months, it will be even more of a challenge, but one that we can adapt to as it develops."

The Fed has also cancelled the annual communal seder which takes place on-site, but will be sending seder packages to those who had planned to attend so that they can have a seder at home.

"Everyone is conscious of the fact that we need the community's financial support," Mr Bloom added. "If we suffer a drop in income, it's not an overreaction to say that people will die.

"We need people to maintain their funding, and to even add extra funding if people can help."

Email: volunteer@thefed.org.uk

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