VIRUS THREAT CURTAILS SENIOR CENTER ACTIVITIES
It's all about ‘social distancing'
Though all Solano County Library locations — including JFK Library in Vallejo — will continue to operate with standard hours, all programs, events, meeting room bookings, and outreach activities through March are canceled.
Assistant Director of Library Services Suzanne Olawski said in a Friday news release that the curtailed events are “due to current guidance from public health officials” and the decision was made “in the interest of protecting the health, safety, and well-being of our residents and staff — in particular the high-risk populations we serve.”
“We encourage any concerned patrons, especially those in high-risk populations, to stay home if they are feeling ill or are simply concerned about potential exposure. We have advised our staff to do the same,” Olawski said.
Seniors 65 and older and those with already compromised immune systems are hit the hardest with the COVID-19 virus, according to the World Health Organization. Local senior-based centers have reacted accordingly.
The Florence Douglas Center in Vallejo canceled its St. Patrick’s Dinner on Friday and this Monday’s Cache Creek trip, said Peter Wilson, executive director.
Also cancelled are Jazzercise classes through April 2, this weekend’s annual North Bay Rose Society’s regional, and Friday’s technology clinic by the Solano County Library staff.
“We are taking it day by day,” Wilson said, leaving it up to class instructors to cancel classes.
The Bollywood Gala and Auction scheduled for April 4 will be postponed until late summer, Wilson said.
Though a Jazzercise class is only 50 to 60 people, “it’s tight quarters,” Wilson said. “And they’re elderly … in their 70s, 80s and some in the 90s so it’s concerning.”
Roughly 250 to 350 seniors use the Douglas Center every week, Wilson said, adding that “people are calling asking if we’re closed. We’re not, but we’re taking the necessary precautions to keep the center sanitized. All rails, door knobs, and handles are being cleaned three or four times a day and the tables are always cleaned.”
The Carquinez Village Senior Speakers Series at the Benicia Library on March 19 — “Diabetes Discussion and Free Screening” — has been canceled because of “an abundance of concern to prevent individual’s exposure to the corona virus.”
The city of Benicia canceled all activities at the Benicia Senior Center through March except for Friday’s Meals on Wheels. Because of the “difficulty in achieving recommended social distancing,” many meetings and events have been canceled through March 31 at the Benicia Public Library.
“People are calling asking if we’re closed. We’re not, but we’re taking the necessary precautions to keep the center sanitized.
All rails, door knobs, and handles are being cleaned three or four times a day and the tables are always cleaned.”
— Peter Wilson, Executive Director