Centre County is one of twenty-four counties identified by the Governor as able to lift the stay at home order and move to a yellow phase of aggressive COVID-19 mitigation requirements effective Friday, May 8.
Administrator Margaret Gray provided the following guidance on behalf of the Board of Commissioners for operations of Centre County government under this new phase. The County’s goal remains to keep essential services in place while protecting the health and safety of our employees and the public we serve. The protocols of the past several weeks remain mostly intact and are summarized below: County Buildings:
- All County buildings remain closed to the public.
- While many offices remain physically closed, the public may be admitted on a case-by-case basis with permission from and if accompanied by a County staff member.
- Anyone entering the building must wear a mask at all times. The County will provide cloth masks to anyone presenting without a mask.
- Hand sanitizing supplies will continue to be provided at all entrances and throughout the buildings.
- Deputies will remain at the main doors of the Willowbank, Courthouse, and Courthouse Annex.
- Office cleaning and disinfecting will continue and include cleaning before buildings open each morning and at designated times throughout the day.
Employees:
- Employees who are working remotely should continue to do so.
- Offices that require employees to be on site must provide for and observe physical distancing with 6 feet between individuals.
- When possible, time in an office should be limited to essential work only; that is, work that cannot be handled remotely and is necessary to keep operations running. As previously requested, time in an office needs to be coordinated with others to avoid multiple people in the same space at the same time.
- All employees are required to wear masks. If an employee is in a single office with a door that closes a mask may be removed, but only in those circumstances. This requirement is mandatory, not optional.
- Furlough status will continue until the previously designated dates or until an employee is re-called due to increased work requirements.
- No out-of-County travel is permitted unless the travel is work essential and reported in advance to the County Administrator.
- Employees are required to report any symptoms or exposure to COVID-19 to an immediate supervisor. Department heads and elected officials should report this information to the County’s Risk Manager.
General Operations:
• All public meetings will continue to be held online with the exception of the Board of Commissioners meetings on Tuesdays.
- Specific guidance related to the reopening of court proceedings was distributed by the President Judge to Court related offices on May 5, 2020. Please refer to that guidance for questions related to Court operations.
- Mail will continue to be distributed to each office rather than pick-up at central mailrooms.
- Mail and supply deliveries will be made to the main entrances.
These protocols are being reviewed on a regular basis and revised guidance will be forwarded as conditions change.