COVID outbreak forces closure of East Hampton Senior Center

A COVID-19 outbreak among staff and program participants has forced East Hampton Town’s Senior Center to temporarily close, town officials announced in a statement Wednesday.

“The temporary suspension of in-person Senior Center services was determined to be prudent, out of an abundance of caution to protect the senior citizens who use the center,” Town Hall officials said in a statement.

Officials at Town Hall and the senior center did not return requests for comment.

The facility, which is on Springs-Fireplace Road, is expected to reopen on May 2 following a deep cleaning, according to the statement from town officials. Those who participate regularly in programs at the center will be notified, and takeout meal service offered to those in need, according to the statement.

“Throughout the pandemic,” the statement read, “the Town of East Hampton has followed NYS Health Department and Centers for Disease Control guidelines in setting policies designed to limit spread of the virus, with particular concern over the risk to members of our community’s more vulnerable, older, or immune-compromised populations.”

Other senior centers on the East End have not had to cease operations.

In Riverhead, Town Supervisor Yvette Aguiar told Newsday on Wednesday that its senior center on Shade Tree Lane in Aquebogue was still open, although officials are operating at 50% capacity with the programs, and staff are still required to wear masks. To date, they have not had reports of an outbreak in the facility among staff or attendees, Aguiar added.

Southampton Town Hall officials confirmed that the senior center on Ponquogue Avenue in Hampton Bays remains open.

East Hampton Town first suspended services at its senior centers and senior group activities on March 11, 2020, during the initial outbreak of the pandemic.

Last year, East Hampton Town suspended in-person meetings for its Town Board and other town-appointed boards and shifted back to virtual meetings amid concerns over the spread of the COVID-19 delta variant.