YMCA of Metro Chicago to close centers amid coronavirus pandemic

The YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago will close its centers for two weeks to help prevent the spread of coronavirus, the organization announced Monday.

The shutdown starts Tuesday and includes the YMCA’s 17 Chicago-area centers, five overnight camps and dozens of early childhood extension sites, the YMCA said in a statement.

The locations are set to reopen Monday, March 30.

“It is our social responsibility to do our part to contain the virus for the safety of the community-at-large,” the YMCA of Metro Chicago said in a statement. “We will continue to monitor guidance from federal, state, and local health authorities during this evolving national emergency to make sure that this plan is in the best interests of the health and safety of our members and staff.”

The YMCA said it was developing fitness, wellness and education programs on its website as a way to keep members engaged.

The organization also pleaded with members to keep their membership despite the closures.

“This is a very challenging and unsettling time for all of us,” the YMCA said in the statement. “We at the Y are facing the added challenge of doing what we can by providing salary and benefits continuation to assure that our staff can afford to keep themselves and their families safe and be available to serve you when this health emergency ends.”

YMCA of Metro Chicago serves more than 200,000 members annually, according to the organization.