DIJON: The City cancels Christmas meals for seniors due to sanitary conditions

Those who had confirmed their registration will be contacted in order to come and collect a box of chocolates at the Maison des Seniors on December 16 and 17.

Communiqué from the City of Dijon of December 2, 2021:

Due to the deterioration of the health situation linked to the COVID-19 epidemic, François REBSAMEN, mayor of Dijon, president of Dijon metropolis, president of the CCAS, in consultation with Nathalie KOENDERS, 1st deputy, took the decision with regret. cancel the Christmas meals for seniors which were to be held on December 16 and 17, 2021 at the Palais des Congrès.

This decision is necessary because of a particularly high incidence rate in Côté d’Or (more than 245 positive cases per 100,000 inhabitants as of November 28, 2021) and growing concern on the part of registered seniors.

“It’s a decision we took reluctantly, but one that is the most responsible and reasonable. We follow the recommendations of the Regional Health Agency which recommends avoiding gatherings of more than 50 people, in order to preserve the health of our seniors ”, explains Antoine HOAREAU, deputy mayor in charge of solidarity, action social and poverty alleviation and vice-president of CCAS.

These Christmas meals, which traditionally bring together 3,000 seniors during two lunches, are moments of discussion and conviviality that are particularly awaited and appreciated by the Dijonnais and Dijonnais over 70 years old, a fortiori when they are isolated or in a situation of precariousness. Already, people who have confirmed their registration will be contacted to pick up their chocolate box at the seniors’ house on December 16 and 17.

“Labeled as an“ Age-friendly city ”since 2010 in the same way as New York, Lyon, Manchester, Barcelona or Geneva, the city of Dijon is pursuing a proactive policy to fight against the isolation of seniors thanks to proximity work and particularly effective networking of all the partners ”underlines Lydie PFANDER-MENY, Deputy Mayor in charge of the elderly and intergenerational relations.

As a reminder, these Christmas meals are organized with local associations and neighborhood centers. Placed under the sign of exchanges between generations since 2004, their main partners are the students of the Lycée Saint-Bénigne, 8 young people in civic service from Unis-Cité, the Network of Neuro-Evolving Diseases of Burgundy-Franche-Comté ( RESEDA), the EHPA MAPAM La Manutention establishment (residence for independent seniors), the Binôme 21 association promoting intergenerational cohabitation, or the DIVIA mobility network, which supports seniors in their daily journeys.

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