Lookout pool
When managers at the Lookout Apartments sent an email to their tenants Saturday announcing they had “a confirmed case of COVID-19,” they did so with the best of intentions. They meant to protect residents, employees and visitors to the Lake Highlands Town Center. Today they had to send another email. They were victims of a hoax.
“A person, claiming to be a current resident, who had intimate knowledge of our community and team, informed us he/she had been confirmed with the COVID-19 virus,” they wrote to Lookout residents. “The maleficent behavior of the hoax is completely unacceptable.”
News of the purported coronavirus case so close to home spread rapidly when a Lookout resident shared the first email on Nextdoor.com. A few expressed concern, but most residents had considered the announcement inevitable. Health officials have been warning of rapid spread of the virus for weeks, and emergencies have been declared nationally and statewide. Verification of the COVID case was difficult, in part because of the hoax, but also because the apartment’s management office was closed to avoid spreading the disease.
Dallas County Health and Human Services (DCHHS) officials, led by Lake Highlands High School graduate Dr. Philip Huang, have said they have no record of a confirmed case of COVID-19 at the Lake Highlands Town Center.
You may read the full text of the Lookout email to residents here:
IMPORTANT: Lookout Apartment Management has sent out the following:
Dear Residents,
The Lookout currently does not have a confirmed case of COVID-19. The information we sent out yesterday was the result of a bad hoax. A person, claiming to be a current resident, who had intimate knowledge of our community and team, informed us he/she had been confirmed with the COVID-19 virus. Due to the serious nature of the information, we acted quickly to both keep our residents informed as well as keep our community sanitized to minimize the spread of the virus.
This pandemic is a very serious situation and all humans are in this together. The maleficent behavior of the hoax is completely unacceptable. We are following necessary steps and will continue to take appropriate action. Despite this hoax, it is critical everyone continues taking measures to minimize the spread of the virus. We ask you to review the CDC guidelines in keeping yourself and others safe:
- Avoid close contact with those that are sick.
- Put distance between yourself and other people. This includes the Lookout Management Team. If you need something from the team, please email or call instead of visiting the office in person.
- Stay home when you are sick except to get medical care.
- Cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue.
- Clean frequently touched surfaces daily.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds and avoid touching your face.
Wear a face mask if you are sick or caring for someone who is sick.Refer to the CDC link below for additional information. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prepare/get-your-household-ready-for-COVID-19.html
The Lookout Team will also continue taking preventative measures to minimize the spread of the virus. We will continue to:
- Perform routine and emergency service requests inside apartments. However, pest control has been discontinued for now.
- Be diligent with daily sanitizing efforts off all doorknobs/handles in the office and the garage, railings in stairwells, mailboxes, and parcel pending system.
- Keep all common areas closed until further notice.
We understand the announcement from yesterday caused great concern, therefore our team acted with an abundance of caution due to the nature of this virus. We thank you for your patience, understanding, and your cooperation during this difficult time. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.
The notice was signed by The Lookout Management Team
This was a TERRIBLE hoax.
