This Monday, June 14, marked another step forward in the return to the “new normal” in the New York City, after overcoming the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the resumption of activities in the interior spaces of the centers for the elderly in the Big Apple, which after more than 14 months of being closed, began to open their doors to welcome thousands of older adults. The new breakthrough comes two weeks after several of these venues began promoting outdoor activities.
Joy and hope were present in grandparents, as Fanny Almanza, 70 years old and who from very early on he got ready to go to a center for the elderly in Long Island City, which he used to visit almost daily since before the pandemic was declared in the city, in March of last year.
“It’s like a rebirth after being locked up for so long,” said the Colombian, who despite her joy, admitted that she still felt some fear, so she decided to go to the site wearing a mask, gloves and even a jacket with a hood. , to be as protected as possible, as they were warned in the Elderly center.
“It is not that it is exaggerated, but as they told us in the center, even if we already have the vaccines, there are people who have not had them and since they are not going to demand them from everyone, we have to follow rules to protect ourselves. We have to have a good time, but without exposing ourselves foolishly, “said the grandmother, with a tender smile.
And it is that as the New York City Department of Aging, although the outlook for the battle against COVID looks very encouraging, especially when the rate of infections has been reduced up to 0.59% and vaccination among older adults has been successful, with more than 935,645 over 65s With at least the first dose, you will not let your guard down when it comes to protection standards.
That agency recalled that in senior centers, it will be a requirement that all participants cover their faces with masks, regardless of whether they are vaccinated, and maintain a social distance of at least six feet away.
And to find out which centers have already opened and which ones will open in the coming days, the Aging Department’s recommendation is that older adults call their local adult center for more information.
Maria Hiraldo, coordinator of the ‘Comfort Adult Day Care Center’ de Corona, in Queens, a neighborhood severely attacked by COVID, was very encouraged by the reopening of the centers for the elderly, and assured that that particular place, with a Latino majority, will reopen next June 21 from Monday to Friday, between 8 : 00 and 2:00 in the afternoon, under strict security measures. East Friday June 18 at 10:00 am a special outdoor event will be held in Flushing Park to ring the bell prior to the reopening.
“This is a positive step, because during all this time they suffered one of the ugliest things that could have happened, they lost their family and friends and many will be affected emotionally and psychologically, but we are ready to help them,” commented the worker, warning that 13 older adults from that center died in the pandemic. “For us the most important thing is going to continue to be your safety and protection and therefore we are going to maintain rules and regulations, such as checking the temperature of everyone at the entrance, demanding the use of masks, washing hands and social distancing.”
The New York Mayor Candidate Kathyn Garcia, attended the reopening of the Lenox Hill Senior Center, on the Upper East Side, in Manhattan, and there he was optimistic about the return of older adults to their activities, but criticized the De Blasio Administration for taking so long to reopen them.
“I think the senior centers should have opened earlier. Older people have been incredibly isolated. There is a way to do it safely, especially since we have received the vaccines and they need to be together. They need to see their friends. They need a hot meal, ”he told the applicant.
“They bore the worst part of the COVID”
And given the criticism for having delayed so much the reopening of the centers for the elderly, the Mayor Bill de Blasio He defended himself and insisted that it was necessary to wait until now to be sure that the conditions of protection and security for the elderly were in place.
“Our elders, our elders are precious to us. They bore the worst part of the COVID. They were the most vulnerable. Those are the people we lost the most. And our Health Department insisted that before we put people back together in small spaces, they had to be very, very safe“Commented the Mayor.
“After everything we’ve been through, we had to get it right, and they got to the point, working with the Department of Aging for the past two weeks, where it was clear that it was time and now people are coming back. But this was a security decision first, ”added the New York leader.
Likewise, the commissioner of the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene of the City, Dave Chokshi, stated that health and safety were the variables that prevailed in planning the reopening of the centers for the elderly.
“That is why we proceeded with a methodical approach. We started with outdoor activities at senior centers in May. I am truly delighted that it has now moved on to extend them to indoor activities with proper public health precautions, because we just witnessed too much suffering, particularly from older New Yorkers, ”the official said.
“Thus, we will continue to do everything in our power to keep them as safe as possible “added De Blasio.
COVID Data on Deaths and Vaccination of Older Adults in NYC
- 1,280,408 elderly seniors are estimated to live in New York City
- 935,645 older adults have taken at least the first dose
- 865,866 older adults are fully vaccinated
- 26.9% of the elderly in the Big Apple are not vaccinated
- 68% of elderly New Yorkers are fully vaccinated
- 60% of vaccinated seniors ranks Brooklyn as the county with the lowest senior vaccinations
- 25,377 adults over 75 died of COVID in NY
- 9,653 adults over 65 died of COVID in NY
- 250 senior centers began a total reopening with indoor activities
To learn more about the senior centers and their reopening, you can check out the NYC Department of Aging website at the site www1.nyc.gov
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