Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
The contracted director of senior citizen centers in Tucumcari and Logan said she has set a tentative reopening date of Aug. 2 for both facilities — almost 18 months after they closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Clara Rey said she still was mentally digesting new guidelines she received received Friday morning about the proposed reopening of the Tucumcari Senior Center and Logan Senior Center.
Despite Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s announcement in mid-June to lift all health restrictions on July 1, Rey said its not that simple with senior centers. Senior citizens remain among the most vulnerable to the virus that has killed more than 600,000 Americans.
She said the Tucumcari City Commission and the Village of Logan Council first must officially approve a reopening plan for each respective facility. The first meeting when Tucumcari city commissioners could take such an action is July 8. The first such meeting for the Logan council is July 13.
Rey said the biggest challenge with reopening will be determining which of the centers’ clients are vaccinated.
She said such information will be self-proclaimed by each client and that the Tucumcari and Logan centers will not refuse service to anyone who is unvaccinated.
Grab-and-go meals will continue to be offered for unvaccinated clients, she said, as will home delivery of meals.
She said clients in the senior centers will be required to wear masks.
Rey said the Tucumcari and Logan senior centers will undergo protocols for COVID-19 screening of employees — including temperature checks and questionnaires — and disinfecting of the facilities and their surfaces.
Rey said she set the Aug. 2 tentative opening so centers have time to meet all the new requirements and ensure proper staffing.
Mary Ann Dominguez, program manager at the Tucumcari Senior Center, said earlier last week senior centers around the state wouldn’t be ready for a July 1 reopening, no matter what the governor said in mid-June.
“We’re not ready for it,” she said of a July 1 reopening. “We couldn’t open on July 1 even if we wanted to right now because we have to have things in place here, and we’re not ready for that.”
She said a few senior centers instead were talking about opening as soon as July 6.
Regardless of the opening date, Dominguez said plenty of senior citizens are eager to show up when it happens.
“My seniors are ready to be here,” she said.
Based on previous experience, Rey expressed confidence employees will be up to the task for reopening those centers.
“The staff at both Tucumcari and Logan have gone above and beyond to make sure our seniors receive their meals … and whatever they may need,” she said.