Benicia Parks & Community Services Closures

PRESS RELEASE
CITY OF BENICIA
Benicia Fire Department
250 East L Street
Benicia, California 94510
Contact: Fire Chief Josh Chadwick
Benicia Fire Department
(707) 746-4275 jchadwick@ci.benicia.ca.us

CITY OF BENICIA UPDATE ON COVID-19

Benicia, CA (March 13, 2020) — The City of Benicia continues to closely monitor the ongoing Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak through local, county and state health officials. Our top priority remains the health, safety and well-being of our community.

California Department of Public Health issued guidelines on postponing or canceling gatherings and events through the end of March 2020 to protect public health and slow the transmission of COVID-19.

To that end, the City of Benicia Parks & Community Services Department announced that to address the possible spread of COVID-19, all Parks & Recreation programs, classes, events and rentals have been postponed or canceled from March 14 – 31, 2020 at the Benicia Community Center, Benicia Senior Center, Benicia City Gym and Benicia Clock Tower. Parks and athletic fields remain open.

City Hall and Benicia Public Library remain open and operational with appropriate measures in place to protect the health of staff and the community.

As conditions change, or City meetings or events are canceled, updates will be shared on the Coronavirus webpage at https://www.ci.benicia.ca.us/coronavirus.

What can you do?

• See the CDC’s Coronavirus Disease website for updates, news and
symptoms to watch out for: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
• Wash your hands often and cover coughs and sneezes.
• Increase your social distance (no hand shaking or hugging) at events and gatherings.
• Stay in touch with older adults and encourage them to seek medical assistance, if they develop symptoms.

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This notice appeared around 2:30pm March 13 on Nextdoor:

City Closes Community Center and Senior Center

Based on recommendations from Solano County, we are cancelling all programming at the City Gym and Senior Center, and closing the two facilities until March 31st. The City will continue to post updates about COVID-19 on the website at www.ci.benicia.ca.us/coronavirus.

In a March 12 press release, the City of Benicia announced detailed closures and postponements:

In response to the guidelines, the City of Benicia has canceled or postponed the following:

• All senior activities at the Benicia Senior Center will be cancelled from March 13 – March 31, 2020 except for the Meals on Wheels program on Friday, March 13. Staff is working with Solano County to provide home delivery of Meals on Wheels beginning Monday, March 16.
• Due to the difficulty in achieving recommended social distancing, the following meetings or events have been canceled through March 31
  • Benicia Public Library:
    • After School Zone, all storytimes, all book clubs, art gallery
      receptions, board games evenings, ESL classes, GED
      classes, Great Decisions discussions, Language Lab,
      Resume & Career Counseling, Technology Help, Teen
      Advisory Board, Writers’ Salon, Writer’s Workshop
    • March 12: Arts and Culture Commission meeting
    • March 14: Friends of the Library Book Sale
    • March 15: Three Poets Welcome Spring event
    • March 16: Art Gallery Committee meeting
    • March 17: Objective Planning Standards Stakeholder
      meeting
    • March 19: Public Art Subcommittee meeting
    • March 22: Ramana Vieira and Ensemble
    • March 29: Poet Jane Hirschfield
  • City Hall Commission Room:
    • March 16: Community Sustainability Commission meeting
    • March 25: Economic Development Board meeting

City Hall, Benicia Public Library and Benicia Community Center remain open and operational with appropriate measures in place to protect the health of staff and the community.