Senior Center Closes Until Further Notice As COVID-19 Cases Rise

TINLEY PARK, IL — The Tinley Park Senior Community Center in Tinley Park will be closed until further notice due to a rise in COVID-19 cases, village officials said Tuesday.

The center, which is normally open on Tuesdays and Thursdays to elderly residents, will no longer continue its activity schedule for the time being as a precautionary measure against COVID-19.

The Public Safety Building will remain open as will the Senior Bus Service run by the village but the center will be closed. Officials said they would reevaluate the safety of opening the space up again in the new year.

Normally, the center offers Bingo games, public speakers on senior citizen topics and free luncheons. The center also houses three computers with specialists available to help seniors access and use the internet.

The closure comes at the height of another COVID-19 surge across the south suburbs. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a study conducted at the beginning of the pandemic showed about 78 percent of the people who died from early COVID-19 cases were aged 65 and older.