Territory’s Seniors Celebrate the Reopening of DHS Centers

The Human Services Department has reopened its Senior Centers on all three islands for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began in March 2020, Commissioner Kimberley Causey Gomez announced on Monday.

All three centers were temporarily closed during the pandemic for the health and safety of the territory’s seniors, Causey Gomez said. Run by the Division of Senior Citizens Affairs, Socio-Recreation Program, they offer outlets for seniors to enjoy get-togethers, meals, recreation, and cultural activities.

“Due to the restrictions being lifted in the territory, all locations have begun providing socio-recreation activities to our elderly Virgin Islanders,” Causey Gomez said in a press release announcing the openings.

Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. has eased many of the territory’s COVID-19 restrictions as case numbers and hospitalizations have subsided. As of Monday, there were 51 cases territorywide.

The STRIVE Center at the Knud Hansen Complex on St. Thomas reopened on March 22 with a total of 33 participants; the Adrian Center on St. John reopened on March 29, with 28 seniors in attendance; and the St. Croix Richmond Center reopened on April 1 with 75 participants at its temporary site, the Christiansted Lagoon Pavilion.

Activities at all three centers featured lively music and dance, said Causey Gomez. Cultural dancers and a moko jumbie performance, sponsored by the Tourism Department, kicked off the St. Thomas STRIVE Center event with an homage to the territory’s cultural heritage.