The following statement was issued on May 11 by Gene Kanamori, president and CEO of Keiro.
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COVID-19 has significantly impacted all of our lives — the way we socialize, pick up food, and conduct our businesses have all changed. As we look forward to when the Safer at Home ordinances are eased in the upcoming weeks, we know that this doesn’t mean that life will go back to normal for the foreseeable future.
While we have all come together to help “flatten the curve,” the virus, and our chance of infection, has not yet been eradicated. Unfortunately, medical experts are indicating that it could be months, or even years, before life goes back to the “normal” we used to know.
Keiro’s mission is to enhance the quality of senior life in our community, and that means protecting the health and safety of everyone in our community — older adults, caregivers, and loved ones alike. After careful consideration, we have decided to transition all of our scheduled in-person events to alternative formats for the remainder of the year, including our Keiro no Hi Festival in September and Keiro Symposium in October.
Until the virus has run its course, or a vaccine is made available to everyone, we feel it is irresponsible to convene large groups of people, especially older adults that fall in the at-risk category.
In the upcoming weeks, Keiro will announce alternative plans to replace our originally scheduled programs. Keiro will continue to collaborate with our community partners to deliver meaningful and impactful programs to address the evolving needs of older adults in our community.
Thank you for your continued support and ongoing partnership.
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For more information, call (213) 873-5700 or visit www.keiro.org.