Byrdstown Senior Center to Reopen

The Byrdstown Senior Center is set to reopen on Monday, May 10th.

The center plans to have several COVID guidelines in place, including daily screening of all visitors and activities adhering to social distancing guidelines. New Director Jessica Scott Wilson said that after being closed for a year, she’s excited to get the seniors back in and enjoying each other’s company again.

“Being shut in for a year for a year now and away from here and the Senior Center, the other seniors that are involved here, it’s taken a toll on a lot of them. They need that socialization,” said Wilson.

Over the past year, the center has only been offering meal services through delivery and drive-thru options. Wilson said this was the only time they were able to see the seniors, and that the most-asked question was “when will you open?”

“Now that I’ve told them we’ve got a date, we’ve got a plan, everybody seems to be excited to be able to come back and to be able to do the activities they’ve done in the past,” said Wilson.

However, Wilson said that even though activities will be up and running, things won’t be exactly the same as they were pre-COVID. Visitors won’t be able to eat in the facility and there will be smaller capacity limits for the exercise rooms available by appointment only. Additionally, visitors will be required to sign the Tennessee Pledge, which is a waiver that releases the Senior Center from being held liable for any visitor coming into contact with COVID.

While the Senior Center is taking many precautions as they re-open, Wilson hopes that their visitors will take the opportunity to re-socialize and experience life again. The Senior Center will be open Monday through Friday, but closed on Thursdays.