By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
When Denise Niese took the stage during Senior Day at the Wood County Fair Thursday, she was the bearer of bad news.
Seniors, staff and visitors to the county’s senior centers would have to go back to wearing masks because of the rising number of COVID cases that put Wood County into the “substantial” transmission level.
There was no grumbling from the crowd. Niese, the executive director of the Wood County Committee on Aging, got no pushback from the seniors.
“They know if we don’t nip this in the bud, we’re looking at going backwards,” she said.
The county’s senior centers won’t shut down, but they will mandate masks for everyone regardless of vaccination status.
Niese got the impression the seniors were just relieved the centers wouldn’t close – like they did for much of the last year.
“They are so happy being out. People were so tired of being homebound,” she said.
“We are seeing new faces at all the senior centers,” she said. “They are exploring new things to do.”
Four of the eight senior centers in the county are already open. The centers in Pemberville and Wayne will open on Monday, followed two weeks later by the site in Grand Rapids, and by the North Baltimore facility on Sept. 7.
The logic for the senior centers to remain open can be found in the high vaccination rate among Wood County’s oldest generation.
“Like Ben Robison (the county health commissioner) says, some of the safest people to be around in Wood County are the seniors,” since they have close to a 90% vaccination rate, Niese said.
Late Thursday, the Wood County Committee on Aging issued its revised COVID policy in response to the heightened “substantial” level from the Centers for Disease Control.
In an effort to continue to keep the older adults of Wood County safe, yet continue to provide programs and services, the face mask policy was changed to reflect the upgraded risk factors in this area. The revisions are specific to those staff, participants and guests who have completed their COVID-19 vaccine protocols. The policy for staff, participants and guests who are unvaccinated remains unchanged.
The revised policy is:
- All unvaccinated employees, participants and guests are required to wear a mask or cloth face-covering that covers his or her mouth and nose at all times participating in a WCCOA service, activity or event whether located at a WCCOA site or another location/facility.
- All unvaccinated employees, participants and guests being transported in a WCCOA vehicle are required to wear a mask or cloth face-covering that covers his or her mouth and nose while in a WCCOA vehicle.
- All unvaccinated employees and volunteers entering the residence of a client are required to wear a mask or cloth face-covering that covers his or her mouth and nose while in the residence.
- All vaccinated employees, volunteers, participants and guests are required to wear a mask or cloth face-covering that covers his or her mouth and nose at all times participating in a WCCOA service, activity or event whether located at a WCCOA site or another location/facility. This includes all employees and volunteers providing contactless delivery of home delivered meals.
All WCCOA advice on physical/social distancing remains in place. People are asked to continue to practice physical/social distancing even when wearing a mask.
This policy will remain in effect until Wood County is no longer classified by the CDC as having substantial or high transmission rates of COVID-19 and its variants and this policy is rescinded by the WCCOA board.
