By Laura French
GALLATIN, Tenn. — A retired fire captain has died due to COVID-19 after an outbreak at the nursing facility where he was a resident.
Retired Gallatin Fire Capt. Homer Barr, 80, died at the hospital Saturday due to complications from the disease, his daughter told NewsChannel5. He had retired from the Gallatin Fire Department in 2004 after a 26-year career.
Deneen Barr criticized the handling of the outbreak by officials at the Gallatin Center for Rehabilitation and Healing, where her father resided and where more than 100 residents and staff have tested positive for COVID-19, according to WKRN.
Deneen told NewsChannel5 that she was angered residents weren’t moved out of the facility when residents and employees reportedly began showing signs of illness about two weeks before her father and 23 other residents were initially transported to the hospital.
A second resident of the nursing home died Sunday; their identity has not been released.
Deneen said she does not know when she can hold a funeral for her father due to the ongoing pandemic.