I’m not the only one who has opted, once again, to stay home. Both the rec center and the senior center are cutting back on classes and hours because of the lack of participation, again, but mostly because of the sudden increase in cases of Covid, again. Of course this could include the flu and RSV (respiratory syncytial virus), but no one is specifying. It’s just clear that more and more people here are getting sick.

At the rec center, the number of exercise classes has been halved, and so has the number of people who can sign up for them. They’re going back to spaces outlined in blue painter’s tape on the floor, giving a spot to each person to work out. No more walking with pals in a group around the indoor track. Instead, they’re going back to single walkers staying a minimum of 10 feet apart.

The senior center has been hit the hardest, I think, because so many of their classes involved sitting around a large table learning a new language, doing painting or fiber art or sharing a meal. The local weekly sightseeing events are stopped because they no longer want to fit 20 seniors into the bus. For some seniors, those social events were the highlight of their week. Now it looks like they’ll be back to Zoom meetings.

The good news is that the food bank is still up and running with no sign (yet) of slowing down what they do. Participants will pull up and stay in their vehicles, while volunteers bring out the bags and boxes.

And bless their hearts, the drivers are still out there, picking up seniors to take them to appointments. Rumor says they vowed, as a group, not to stop what they’re doing.

Have we really been doing this for four years?

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