CAIRO — Summer is already underway, but the Jackie Robinson Boys & Girls Club has no concrete plans to reopen any time soon amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Club staff will continue serving as many children as possible over the phone and through virtual contact, said club director Stephen Francis.

“We are still implementing BGC programs as best we can during our times of virtual engagement with the kids,” he said. “The Jackie Robinson Boys & Girls Club Board of Directors are also still currently monitoring the COVID-19 situation very closely. We will continue to remain optimistic in our process of future planning.”

Club officials held a virtual Safety Committee meeting May 20 in conjunction with the Marguerite Neel Williams Boys & Girls Club in Thomasville to discuss a draft proposal that would possibly reopen the clubs as soon as June 15, the JRBGC stated in a press release. After reviewing all proposed plans and a nearly hour-long deliberation, the committee determined that it would be best for the clubs to remain closed for the time being.

A second Safety Committee meeting will be held June 10 to revisit the proposal for a possible reopening “somewhere around July 1,” Francis said. The club director said any decisions made at that meeting will be guided by the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and local government recommendations.

Boys & Girls Clubs of the Big Bend CEO Lee Wagner said any decision on whether to have a summer program will ultimately be made by the club board of directors with “input and guidance” from himself and Francis.

“As always, safety of kids and staff is the main consideration,” Wagner said.

Wagner said he had club directors have been “trying to get a feel” for what a summer program could look like for the past several weeks. That process included evaluating the pros and cons of hosting summer activities during the pandemic.

The Boys & Girls Club has been closed since March 16.