Two Chattanooga community centers were ordered closed by Mayor Tim Kelly on Wednesday due to a confirmed case of COVID-19 at each facility, according to a city news release.
With contact tracing efforts underway, the Washington Hills Community Center and Frances B. Wyatt Community Center will be reopened after deep cleaning, sanitizing and quarantine protocols. Summer camp will not resume at the Washington Hills Community Center.
Parents and staff were notified on Wednesday and asked to take appropriate protective measures. Employees who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 will be assigned to other locations during the closure. All city employees are being offered a $100 incentive to get vaccinated, with a smaller incentive available for each vaccinated family member covered by city health insurance, the release states.
The decision on when to reopen the center will be made in consultation with Mary Lambert, the city’s director of community health.
“The closure of these two community centers today is a wake-up call for our community that the spread of COVID-19 among unvaccinated individuals remains a threat to our city,” Lambert said in the release. “The resurgence of this virus is a real danger, and the city will take every appropriate action to keep our residents safe.”