March 13, 2020 - On Wednesday evening, Governor Wolf provided direction to State employees regarding travel and the importance of social distancing as it pertains to meeting attendance and large gatherings.
His press release is linked here: https://www.governor.pa.gov/newsroom/wolf-administration-provides-guidance-to-commonwealth-employees-on-travel-and-large-gatherings/
Following the Governor’s direction and in addition to the environmental protocols already in place across County buildings, Centre County government is implementing the following directives specific to Centre County employees effective Monday, March 16, 2020 and until further notice:
TRAVEL:
-No out-of-county travel for official County business unless determined to be mission critical by the Commissioners’ Office. If you have specific County responsibilities beyond the geographic borders of the County, please communicate these to your department head who will seek approval from the Commissioners’ office for their continuation. Only essential business functions will be considered for exemption.
LARGE MEETINGS, CONFERENCES, TRAININGS, AND COMMUNITY EVENTS:
-Postpone hosting or participating in large meetings (12-15+ participants), conferences, trainings, or community events unless approved in advance by the Commissioners’ office. Waivers of this directive will be based on essential business function. This applies to meetings with external participants as well as internal County meetings typically attended exclusively by County staff.
These directives apply to all County departments including offices overseen by elected officials with the exception of the Courts and Court-related offices. If you are an employee of a Court-related office, direction will be provided to you by the President Judge who will make all determinations about Court related proceedings.
As you can appreciate, this situation is rapidly evolving. We will provide additional guidance early next week for employees who are missing work due to a COVID-19 illness and/or are exposed to the virus. In the interim, please continue to refer to the Department of Health’s website (https://www.health.pa.gov/topics/disease/Pages/Coronavirus.aspx) for updates including symptoms and best hygiene practices. If you do not feel well, please stay at home.
Research indicates that pro-active social distancing, as achieved in part by travel and meeting restrictions, may help to slow the spread of this virus. All of your efforts in this regard are sincerely appreciated. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns.
Thanks,
Margaret N. Gray, County Administrator