LA GRANDE — Kirk Shira has been making regular 45-mile drives from his home in Baker City to La Grande for the past 12 months, only to finish, until recently, just a foot short of where he desperately wanted to be each time.

Shira was coming to La Grande to see his mother, June Shira, at Bullock’s Country Care, an assisted living home. Kirk Shira has not been able to go inside, though, because of state COVID-19 restrictions. He would do the next best thing — stand next to one of the windows in his mom’s room.

“We would talk to each other on cellphones,” Kirk Shira said.

The window the two saw each other through seemed like several feet for Kirk Shira, who desperately wanted to hug his mom.

Shira finally had his chance last week after the recent reduction in Union County’s COVID-19 risk rating allowed local assisted care centers to have visitors. He was excited to have the opportunity to embrace his mom. Almost too excited.

Staff at Bullock’s Country Care had to call Shira back as he raced down a hallway because he had forgotten to have his temperature taken, a COVID-19 protocol the state requires of everyone entering an assisted living center. After passing the temperature test, Shira proceeded to his mom’s room, there the two shared an emotional embrace.

“There were tears of joy. I could not be any happier,” Shira said. “I was overwhelmed.”

His mother shared the sentiment of finally being able to see her son in person.

“It was a great surprise,” June Shira said.

She later revealed she had not lost her sense of humor during the pandemic, joking she was mad at her son for not coming to see her inside.

“I told him I was going to paddle him,” June Shira said.

Kirk Shira is one of many people who have been seeing family members at Bullock’s since the improvement in the risk category. Tight restrictions, though, remain on the number of visitors who can be in centers at one time. Bullock’s Country Care, for example, can allow no more than two visitors in the facility at any one time. In addition, visits have to be scheduled in advance. This gives staff time to sanitize between visits. It also prevents the possibility of more than two visitors being at the site at one time, said Suzie Bullock, the owner and operator of the facility.

Bullock said the presence of visitors is creating a feeling of elation among her residents.

“They could not be any happier,” she said.

Before guests were allowed in, morale was suffering.

“Depression was through the roof,” Bullock said.

Confusion compounded the heartache from the absence of family members. Bullock said some residents, because of mental health and dementia issues, couldn’t understand why family members were not coming to see them.

“They felt hurt,” Bullock said. “They would say, ‘If they loved me they would come see me.’”

She said not being able to have visitors during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays was especially difficult. The advertisements on television showing joyful families gathering for the holidays added to the residents’ emotional pain.

“It was rough all the way around,” Bullock said.

Masks have and continue to compound the sense of frustration residents feel, because all staff of assisted living centers must wear masks. Bullock explained many of her residents have hearing issues and rely on lip reading to help them understand what someone is saying to them. Masks, of course, make lip reading impossible. This has meant Bullock has spent much of her time serving as an interpreter, helping residents understand what others are telling residents.

Prior to the pandemic, between 10 and 50 people a day visited Bullock’s Country Care.

“We went from that to nothing,” Bullock said.

She said she hopes the days of 10 to 50 visitors a day return soon. Until then, though, even the smaller number of visitors is a godsend, allowing everyone to again enjoy a sense of anticipation.

“Even though it is nothing like it used to be,” Bullock said, “it is still exciting wondering who will come each day.”