The Porter County
Commissioners announced at their meeting on Tuesday that COVID-19 testing of
all county employees will be completed by Friday, May 22, and that employees
who test negative will return to their regular work schedules on Tuesday,
May 26.
“With employee
testing nearing completion, we have a baseline at which to start,”
Commissioner Laura Blaney, D-South, said in a statement released after
deadline on Tuesday. “But testing was just the first step in reducing the
risk of exposure to our employees and visitors.”
Beginning on
Tuesday, May 26, and every day thereafter, all employees will have their
temperature taken and complete a COVID-19 risk assessment questionnaire when
they enter their building. If their temperature is at or above the CDC
guidelines or if they do not pass the risk assessment, they will be sent
home and may not return to work until they are tested at the ISDH testing
site and receive a negative result.
In addition, the
Facilities Department will continue the enhanced cleaning of the public and
common areas with disinfectant and antiviral cleaning products as well as
provide each department anti-viral cleaning products as available. Each
department will be responsible for additional cleaning of commonly use
spaces and surfaces within the private workspaces. Hand sanitizer, hand
sanitizing stations, and disinfecting wipes will be provided throughout the
public and common areas of the county buildings and to each department, as
available.
County employees
will be required to wear masks in any public and common area within any
county building, and the county highly recommends that all employees wear a
face mask at all times at work. Sneeze guards will be provided to each
department with a customer service counter. County employees should be
either behind a sneeze guard mask or wear a mask when dealing with the
public.
Also beginning on
Tuesday, May 26, the public may access services at county buildings by
appointment only. Any county building that is allowing public access by
appointment only shall take temperatures and refuse admission if the
citizen’s temperature is at or above the current CDC recommendation.
Citizens entering a county building shall be required to wear a mask while
in the building.
Citizens who
require an appointment should contact the appropriate department in advance
to schedule that appointment. Members of the public will not be allowed
access without a scheduled appointment. To find the phone numbers of the
department, citizens can visit www.porterco.org/directory
“We know everyone
wants to get back to business as usual but these are unusual and uncertain
times,” Blaney added. “We are taking gradual steps to get there but, first
and foremost, our responsibility is the health and safety of our employees
and the public.”