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Date: 1/5/2022
EASTHAMPTON – Right before Christmas, the Mayor’s Office and Easthampton Health Department elected to close the Easthampton Council on Aging (COA) and Enrichment building to the public for group activities and certain other services until Jan. 18.
The move was made in response to the growing number of COVID-19 cases within the city, as well as the building’s physical layout. As of press time, Easthampton entered the red category of transmission for the second week in a row. The city was also at a record high at 88.2 cases per day per 100,000 population, according to the most recent COVID-19 dashboard. There were 110 cases during the week of Dec. 15 to 21.
Despite the closure, the COA will continue to provide services to individuals one-to-one by phone and online, and staff will still meet in person with residents for programs that still require that type of service-like SHINE and fuel assistance. Better fitted and higher quality masks will be utilized, as well as improved ventilation, for these meetups.
COA staff and volunteers will also continue to distribute Highland Valley Elder Services take-and-go meals at 50 Payson Ave. and provide limited home shopping and delivery service during this time.
“Regarding group activities, we look forward to welcoming back our Healthy Bones and Tai Chi participants, game players and fitness members, the local Bingo group, and the veterans who meet here, later in January,” said COA Director Cynthia Tarail, in a statement to Reminder Publishing. “For now, we are offering some group activities, such as the men’s group, remotely, and will strive to increase remote options this winter. We thank our community for the patience and understanding we have been receiving.”
Tarail also added that the COA is reducing the number of riders using their vehicles during this temporary period. Staff and volunteers are continuing to distance at the center, as are other city workers.
People can contact the front desk at 527-6151, ext. 135, or press 0 to sign up for meals, access any programs, and to gather information about transportation services, fitness room access, and other remote programs.
In other news, the Emily Williston Memorial Library is temporarily suspending in-person indoor programming at the library. All of the library’s winter break craft programs will now be grab-and-go programs. People who have preregistered will have kits reserved for them, which can be picked up at the Youth Department beginning at the time the program was originally scheduled.
The library is still open inside, and curbside is available by placing an order at 527-1031. People can also email curbside@ewmlibrary.org, or by using the online forms on its website.