Oxnard closes Senior Community Centers as a Coronavirus precaution
OXNARD, Calif. - The City of Oxnard announced that they will be closing all Senior Community Centers as a safety precaution to protect residents from the coronavirus.
Senior center facilities throughout Oxnard will be closed to the public starting on Wednesday.
“The decision was made because the seniors are a particular risk for the coronavirus,” said Scott Brewer, Emergency Services Manager at the City of Oxnard.
Brewer says to help prevent the virus from spreading, the city is taking extra precautions.
“There is a lot of information out there and it is changing very quickly,” said Brewer. “We want to make sure that our information is up to date as possible. We are focusing on two areas; One is what we can do to protect the public, and number two, we want to protect our employees and the services that we provide such as police, fire, and emergency.”
There are four Senior Centers throughout the city which provide recreational activities, a chance to socialize, and for many it is even a place to grab lunch.
“Meals will be provided either through delivery or through seniors coming by and picking it up, so the meal program will still continue on,” said Brewer.
Longtime Oxnard resident Ernest Wennerholm has been coming to the Wilson Senior Center for years.
“I come almost everyday,” said Wennerholm.
Wennerholm says the center sees more than 100 people a day. While the residents are sad the doors are closing temporality, they understand it’s for a good reason.
“Well I thought it would happen at some time with this virus going around,” said Wennerholm.
Oxnard is also holding classes to help educate locals on what they need to know.
“Right now starting today, we are installing an education program for all of our managers and all of our employees about infection protection and conducting classes,” said Brewer. “We are teaching such basic things like good hand washing techniques as well as how to decontaminate surfaces, and just how to be aware of how virus are spread.”
The Senior Center’s will remain closed until further notice.
