Two residents at Lattitude Lakelands north of the popular retirement town, 72km south of Perth – which is owned by local real estate developer Peet – have tested positive and are self-isolating after returning from overseas on 17 March, according to the local paper.
Residents at National Lifestyle Villages’ Bridgewater Lifestyle Village (pictured above) have also been warned to self-isolate in an email (pictured below) if they had been in contact with a male resident who has now been diagnosed with the virus between 8-22 March.
Rob Nichols, the chief executive of Serenitas – which took over NLV in mid-2018 as a partnership between Singaporean sovereign wealth fund GIC and Tasman Capital – told residents to not approach village staff on site and contact management only via phone.
Mr Nichols said the man and his wife are self-isolating and are helping authorities with contact tracing.
“In line with our Pandemic Management Plan, we immediately contacted the Department of Health and homeowners were alerted by SMS/text and were asked to self-isolate and stay inside until further notice,” he said.
“We are awaiting specific advice from the Department of Health with regards to self-isolation requirements for close contacts of [the man] ...We will advise further information regarding self-isolation dates and duration as soon as we are informed by Department of Health.”
The cases are bad news for village operators, who have only just recovered from the hit to sales inflicted by the Four Corners investigation into retirement villages in 2017.
The effects of the Government’s new directives for people aged over 70 to stay at home and restrictions on property inspections (and therefore sales) are likely to make themselves felt during the next months too.
What impact will the headlines of outbreaks in villages and LLCs have on the sector’s still-fragile image?
