Westmoreland senior centers to reopen June 1

Westmoreland County announced Thursday it will reopen 13 senior citizen centers June 1, more than 14 months after they were shuttered at the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

The centers, scattered throughout the county, served as a gathering spot for as many as 3,500 seniors for education, socialization and meals until the virus prompted the their closure in mid-March 2020.

“This is going to mean our seniors will have somewhere to go for socialization. They’re going to be very happy about it,” said Carrie Nelson, the director of the county’s Area Agency on Aging. “We’ve been waiting for this for a long time.”

The reopening will allow the agency to resume serving hot meals, which were halted when the centers closed. In their place, the agency continued to offer frozen meals for seniors for pick up and through home delivery.

The county’s senior centers are located in Avonmore, East Vandergrift, Greensburg, Herminie, Jeannette, Latrobe, Ligonier, Monessen, Mt. Pleasant, New Alexandria, New Florence, New Kensington and West Newton. Information about operation hours, meal menus and center addresses can be found on the agency’s website.

Nelson said the decision to reopen the centers came as the number of coronavirus cases continued to decline and the positivity rate for Westmoreland County slid to less than 4.5%. Meanwhile, vaccinations climbed throughout the county. The state health department reported that nearly 53% of eligible county residents received at least one vaccine dose and 42% of adults were fully vaccinated.

The centers will operate under CDC guidelines, meaning that masks are not mandatory for anyone who is fully vaccinated.

“But, we recommend all staff, participants and visitors wear masks,” Nelson said.