PITTSBORO — Out of an abundance of caution due to increasing COVID-19 cases, the Chatham County Council on Aging temporarily suspended all in-person activities at the Western Center in Siler City beginning Tuesday, Jan. 11. The pause will remain in effect through at least Friday, Jan. 28, when council leaders plan to reassess the situation.
The suspension covers all in-person activities, including congregate meals, activities and fitness classes. During the pause, some fitness offerings will remain available by transitioning to a virtual format.
Home-delivered meal service will continue, and congregate attendees disrupted by the pause may have meals delivered by contacting the council.
“This was not an easy decision to make as we know how much people have enjoyed coming together for lunch, fellowship, activities and exercise,” Chatham County Council on Aging Executive Director Dennis Streets said. “However, keeping our participants, volunteers and staff safe remains our top priority. We took this action after seeing the dramatic increase in COVID-19 cases within our community and in consultation with local public health officials.”
The decision to pause in-person programming was driven by the effects of the Omicron variant at the county and state levels, where it is easily transmissible even among fully vaccinated individuals. Factors that increase the risk of transmission include indoor settings, close proximity to others and the inconsistency of mask wearing.
In Chatham County, cases are at record highs and roughly 17% of COVID-19 tests are returning positive. That number is nearly twice as high (31%) in North Carolina. Hospitalizations are also steadily increasing across the state.
“We hope this pause will contribute to improved conditions within Chatham County and enable us to reopen our activities for fully vaccinated seniors soon,” Streets added. “I encourage all persons to get vaccinated, including the booster shot.”
For more information on the Council on Aging, call 919-542-4512 or 919-742-3975 or visit the Council’s website.