Senior Center in Orcutt enhances safety measures as Omicron surges

ORCUTT, Calif. - Cars lined up hours before the opening of this month's Farmers Market at the OASIS Senior Center.

"Yes it hasn’t diminished at all … in the past year and a half … we’ve just kept going going going," said member Colleen Potter of the OASIS Senior Center.

The Senior center continues to reach hundreds of people in need during its monthly food delivery.

"It’s just great food is very expensive at this time of year … and you’re always smiling … and very polite … and very nice," said Potter.

But managers are scaling back on the way they're handling the actual delivery, by simply dropping bags into cars.

"It helps a lot because as a single person living by myself ... it eliminates going to the store for me," said member Sandy Harder of the OASIS Senior Center.

Executive director Michelle Southwick says the number of members getting  COVID-19 has jumped by half since the holiday season.

"People we were talking to are really really miserable … sore throat coughing headaches high fever … we don’t want to take A chance on passing that to anybody," said Southwick.

While the senior center plans to continue activities like the food distribution, they’re enhancing all health protocols to ensure everyone’s safety.

"The classes are getting smaller some are getting concerned that they’re getting sick. what we try to do is we try to do some inside with masks … when it’s sunny like it is we try to come outside for some of that time," said fitness instructor Gretel Reece of the OASIS Senior Center.

"We sent out an email reminder to all our members this morning … asking them to please please please if you don’t feel well or have any symptoms at all … just stay home," said Southwick.

Southwick hopes to continue serving its hundreds of members while maintaining everyone's safety during this difficult time.