SALAMANCA — The Seneca Nation Health System will reopen for patient services on Monday, following a temporary closure after a non-Seneca employee tested positive for the COVID-19 virus last week.

The Nation closed The Lionel R. John Health Center in Salamanca and the Cattaraugus Indian Reservation Health Center and the Community Health and Wellness Center in Irving in order to complete a deep cleaning of each site. No other Health System employees have displayed any symptoms to date, Seneca officials reported.

All three health facilities will reopen to patients at 7:30 a.m. Monday and will operate under normal hours.

“Many of our residents depend on our health centers for essential services so restoring the operations was a priority in maintaining the quality of life on our territories,” said Seneca Nation President Rickey Armstrong Sr. “Our health system leadership, the members of our COVID-19 Task Force and several Nation departments mobilized quickly to thoroughly clean and inspect each facility to ensure minimal interruption of services.”

Upon reopening and for the foreseeable future, the health system will resume heightened control measures at all three facilities. Each will operate from a single point of entry and all employees and visitors will be temperature-screened upon entering.

In addition, all patients are asked to call their respective facility before arrival to confirm appointments and services, as some routine appointments may be rescheduled to control capacity.

All group meetings and activities, as well as exercise appointments, are canceled until further notice.

“We are taking every reasonable precaution to protect our residents and our workers,” Armstrong said. “The measures we have in place will ensure the safe delivery of important services while staying vigilant in our ongoing prevention and response efforts.

“I am incredibly proud of how our Nation personnel and community continue to respond on behalf of the Seneca people during these unique circumstances,” he added.