The Porter County
Commissioners have extended the closure of county offices and buildings
through Monday, April 20, consistent with the governor's shelter-in-place
order.
Per that executive
order, local governments are considered essential services and as such the
Commissioners will continue to follow their emergency plan to assure that
county services will remain available.
The plan:
--Â Extending
the closure of county buildings to the public through at least April 20.
--Â Reducing
staffing levels at those buildings to a basic skeleton crew and, when
possible, allowing employees to work from home so that residents can still
access county government services by phone or email.
--Â Requesting
that residents be patient while accessing county services and use email
rather than phone calls. Department contact information is available at
www.porterco.org/departments
--Â Conducting
essential public meetings virtually and live-streaming those meetings on the
Porter County government's Facebook page.
--Â Providing
accurate and comprehensive communications to residents about accessing
county services on the county's Facebook page and at
www.porterco.org/coronavirus
“As we begin to
experience a surge in positive COVID-19 test results in Porter County, it is
critical that our citizens and businesses not get complacent,” the
Commissioners said today. “We urge everyone to continue to adhere to the
social-distancing requirements of the governor's stay-at-home executive
order:
--Â To the
extent that persons are using shared or outdoor spaces, they must remain at
least six feet away from other persons, with the exception of family or
household members.
--Â Businesses
must designate six-foot areas with signage or tape; make hand sanitizer
available for customers and employees; establish separate operating hours
for more vulnerable customers; and ensure that accurate information is
posted online.
Â