LEXINGTON — Both the Lexington Civic Senior Center and Ontario Senior Center have cancelled events for seniors as a precautionary measure due to concerns over coronavirus.
The Village of Lexington decided Wednesday to cancel senior events, including the Tuesday and Thursday lunches, until further notice.
White made the decision Wednesday after attending a community stakeholders meeting hosted by Richland Public Health and hearing the statement given by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, who issued a statewide order to limit visits to nursing homes and assisted living facilities.
“We thought long and hard about this because it’s really a social opportunity for seniors to get together,” said White.
Wilson agreed, saying the lunch and post-meal bingo is the highlight of the week for many area seniors.
“To you and I, maybe bingo isn’t that thrilling, but to them to play twice a week is their life,” she said. “It’s left me sleepless the last couple nights.”
White said that the center is not completely closed. Small group meetings and reservations have not been cancelled. He did not know when the senior lunches would resume.
“We’re monitoring the situation and we’ll adjust accordingly,” he said. “We encourage folks to still reach out to their friends and do the things that seniors like to do, just not in a large gathering.”
Ontario Mayor Randy Hutchinson announced Thursday the Ontario Senior Center is closed until further notice. All activities are postponed, except for Tuesday’s primary voting.
“With all this scare going on, I thought it was best just to close it until this calms,” Hutchinson said.
There are currently four reported cases of coronavirus, or COVID-19, in Ohio. There are no reported cases in Richland County. Nevertheless, public health officials are urging people to practice “social distancing” by avoiding close contact with others, especially those who are sick.
According to the CDC, the coronavirus is thought to spread through respiratory droplets when a person coughs or sneezes.
In addition to social distancing, Richland Public Health officials are recommending sick individuals quarantine themselves and that everybody wash their hands frequently.
According to Emily Leedy, an epidemiologist with the Richland Public Health, said the virus carries a lower fatality rate compared to similar viruses. SARS has a 10 percent fatality rate, Ebola has a 90 percent fatality rate and the seasonal influenza has a less than one-percent fatality rate. COVID-19 has a three to four percent fatality rate. Older adults and people with serious chronic medical conditions, including heart disease, lung disease and diabetes, are at higher risk.
The Shelby Community and Senior Center and Galion Golden Age Center have not closed or cancelled events at the time of publication. The Senior Citizens Center in Ashland is still open, but has cancelled the Swiss Steak Dinner scheduled for Friday.
