A resident of an independent living cottage at Heron Point Retirement Community has tested positive for COVID-19, making the county’s fifth patient, Kent County’s health officer confirmed.

William Webb said the Kent County Health Department is working with Heron Point on a contact investigation.

As a cottage resident, there is limited exposure to the broader facility, he said.

Heron Point, an Acts Retirement-Life Communities facility on Campus Avenue in Chestertown, includes cottages and apartment homes, as well as assisted living and skilled nursing care accommodations, on 66 acres along the Chester River.

Webb said Heron Point has been conducting the standard practices listed by the CDC and WHO, including frequent hand washing and disinfecting surfaces.

“They have been doing a lot of that already,” Webb said. “They’re very good at that over there.”

For the general community, Webb also encouraged frequent hand washing and following Gov. Larry Hogan’s stay-at-home order.

“Stay the course,” Webb said. “This is going to take longer than anybody wants. Stay at home if at all possible.”