Senior Centers Closing Due To Coronavirus

Shosh Bedrosian spoke with the executive director at Huntsville-Madison County Senior Center about the decision to close down the facility.

To protect students from the virus.

We begin with waay 31's shoshbedrosian.

She is looking at the impact on senior centers.

They are sending at-risk elderly residents home.

More than 400 people visit this senior center every day.

And with 2 cases of coronavirus confirmed in alabama today - the executive director told me it was an immediate decision to close the facility because of the risk to older people.

The huntsville madison senior center will be closed for 3 weeks and will tentatively reopen on april 6th.

The center says they will re- asses on the third week what date they will officially reopen once they see what the community conditions are.

For the meantime, meals on wheels and audlt daycare will still be open and making their rounds to people in the community.

The executive director told me for the next 3 weeks they are closed, they plan on cleaning and sanitizing all rooms. tom glynn, executive director at huntsville- madison county senior center "no matter how many people take extra precautions, there's always going to be a few people who are going to come in sick thinking it's ok they'll get over it without realizing how they could jeopardize everyone else" "and our population at the senior center is the most vulnerable" the senior center tells me they are being proactive and want to protect the population that comes here because they are susceptible to the virus.

They plan on monitoring statewide and national news on the community conditions.

Reporting live in huntsville sbwaay31news.

Other north alabama senior centers are closing their doors in order to keep residents safe.

The madison senior center will be closed until april 3rd.

Morgan county is also closing all eight of its senior citizen centers next week.

Those close on monday.

Staff will still provide lunch for seniors to pick up, but they cannot