Starting at 11 a.m. today (Thursday) area seniors can once again dine at the Powell Senior Center.

“We’re going to open our dining room so that people can come to eat,” said Patti Smith, the interim co-director of the center, “but we do have some restrictions.”

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, seniors will be screened at the door and have their temperature checked, with no more than six people seated per table. There will be no self-service for the lunches, as staff will provide everything from silverware to drinks to condiments.

“Staff will be wearing masks and gloves; it’s not required that the seniors do [wear masks], but it’s highly recommended that they do,” said Smith; masks will be provided to anyone who needs one.

The dining room has been closed since mid-March as part of precautions aimed at limiting the spread of COVID-19, but Smith noted that the public health restrictions have been eased significantly since then.

If seniors feel comfortable coming in to dine, “we want them to,” said Smith, but if they don’t, the senior center is continuing to offer the hot lunches curbside and via delivery.

While the dining room has been shuttered, the North Gilbert Street center has been open to other activities — including to assisting people in filling out forms for Medicare and the Wyoming Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIEAP), to loan out medical equipment and, most recently, for card games.

The center’s transportation has also remained available and restrictions on that service are being loosened. Trips had been limited to one rider per bus, but more riders will now be allowed — with a requirement to wear masks, Smith said.

It’s important for seniors to follow the center’s guidelines, Smith added, “because if they don’t and we get closed down again, I mean, it’s going to be even worse than it was before.” She noted that the center’s staff could wind up being quarantined for 14 days if there’s a positive case of COVID-19.

Smith is serving as the Powell Senior Center co-director alongside Linda Dalton. The two are filling in on an interim basis at the nonprofit organization following the Sept. 22 resignation of longtime Program Director Cathy Florian.