Las Vegas closes senior centers ‘indefinitely’ due to virus outbreak

All five senior centers in Las Vegas, and part of a community center that serves seniors, will close indefinitely beginning Saturday, city officials announced Friday.

The closures come amid President Trump’s declaration of a national emergency over the coronavirus pandemic and the directive to protect the country’s most vulnerable population.

“The city will close its senior centers to comply with this direction,” officials said in a statement.

The centers are Centennial Hills Active Adult Center, Derfelt Senior Center, Doolittle Senior Center, East Las Vegas Community Center and Howard Lieburn Senior Center. The Dula Community Center is the facility that will not offer senior programming indefinitely.

Beyond senior center shutdowns, Las Vegas officials have thus far only announced cancellation of all Corporate Challenge events, the largest amateur sporting event in Nevada, according to the city’s website.

The city has yet to extend to measures taken by Clark County, which announced Thursday it had canceled events of 250 people or more at its parks and recreation facilities until further notice, affecting Jazz in the Park and other events.

In the statement, city officials said the senior centers will be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected during the closure and be ready for use by the community or city employees should they be needed in wake of the outbreak to ensure vital services can still be provided to residents.

“This decision was entered into with careful thought and in the best interests of our entire community,” officials said.

The city will continue to monitor the coronavirus situation with assistance from the Southern Nevada Health District and the state. “We will make decisions based on the evolving nature of the outbreak and with the safety of our residents and visitors in mind,” officials said.

Additional county cancellations

Meanwhile, the county announced additional cancellations Friday, including scheduled programs, field trips and activities at the Cora Coleman and West Flamingo senior centers, as well at more than a dozen other facilities offering programming for seniors.

County officials also canceled the Eggstravaganza at Whitney Park on April 10 and other Easter and spring holiday events at parks and recreation areas with 250 or more people expected to attend.

The Clark County Fair in Logandale beginning April 8, sports tournaments and events, and spring Corporate Challenge events – all which meet the 250-plus person threshold – also have been canceled.

Contact Shea Johnson at sjohnson@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0272. Follow @Shea_LVRJ on Twitter.