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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCouncil Presentation 03/13/2020-Town Manager Memo - COVID-19 INTEROFFICE MEMORANDUM TO: Town of Marana employees FROM: Town Manager Jamsheed Mehta SUBJECT: Town of Marana response to COVID -19 DATE: Thursday, March 12, 2020 CC: On Wednesday, March 11, The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak as a global pandemic. Shortly after, Arizona Governor Ducey declared a public health emergency, and President Trump limited travel to and from European countries to reduce community transmissions. The Town of Marana does not have additional information regarding the presence of COVID-19 in the community, but seeks to take health and safety precautions based on the guidance from the WHO and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to ensure the safety of our staff, their families, and our residents. Based on CDC recommendations, social distancing, which is the avoiding of unnecessary close interactions, can reduce community spread and protect vulnerable at-risk populations. In an abundance of caution, the following initiatives are being implemented to ensure business continuity, and to promote social distancing and overall health and wellness safety regarding COVID-19. 2 STAY HOME REQUIREMENTS. The following employees should stay home for a period of at least 14 calendar days: - Employees or employees with household members exhibiting one or more ongoing flu-like symptoms or exposure to COVID-19. - Employees or employees with household members returning from travel to one of the countries or areas with a level-3 travel health notice (visit https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices for more information). Fourteen days is calculated starting from the day they stay home or are sent ho me for flu-like symptoms, or starting the day they return from travel. The 14-day period may be extended or shortened based on medical advice or test results. Flu-like symptoms may include one or more of the following: - Cough - Sore throat - Runny and stuffy nose - Muscle aches - Headache - Chills - Unusual fatigue - Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea - Fever greater than 100.4 F Employees required to stay home will use one or more approved types of leave. Employees should use accrued Sick or Managed Time Off (MTO) l eave first, and if needed, will be allowed to use accrued Va cation leave and Compensatory leave. Leave donations by fellow Town employees may be permitted when accrued time is exhausted. Additional MTO leave time may be borrowed against future MTO leave al location up to 80 hours. PLAN FOR STAFF ABSENCES. Town staff is currently developing flexible leave policies that will allow for staff absences. Departments are expected to identify their essential services, the employees providing those services, and determine how those services can be maintained if one or more employees are out at the same time. Telecommuting may be 3 considered in the instances as determined by their supervisor and approved by the Town Manager’s Office where employees are sent home and can perform essential job duties remotely, or employees are assigned meaningful duties or areas of work that could be performed out of the office. Phone conference and web-hosted meeting services are currently being evaluated and established where appropriate. TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS. Out-of-state business travel is suspended until further notice. Town officials will continue to monitor and reassess as new infor mation develops. In-state business travel should be limited where possible. Optional or non-essential travel should be avoided. Employees are encouraged to be thoughtful about personal travel, including where they are traveling and possible exposures. LARGE GATHERINGS, COMMUNITY EVENTS, AND PROGRAMMING . Town staff is expected to limit participation in non-essential large gatherings exceeding fifty people. This restriction is applied to public meetings, signature events, employee events, community programming, training, and conferences. SUPERVISOR RESPONSIBILITIES. Supervisors must identify essential services and staffing. Supervisors are authorized and required to send at-risk employees home per consultation with the Human Resources Department. EMPLOYEE RESPONSIBILITIES. Employees are expected to be engaged and aware of how they may be feeling. Stay home if sick. Transparency and accountability are essential when sharing travel and exposure information. Continue to practice good hygiene , including 20-second handwashing and not touching your own face and others . Limit sharing of food and other objects or items. Limit physical contact, including handshakes. Be mindful of public interaction and engagement. Avoid engaging or spreading misinformation to the public. RESOURCES. A FAQ page with COVID-19 information and Town policies will be added to the Employee Portal (https://www.maranaaz.gov/employee-portal). Information regarding COVID-19 can also be found at the following links: • World Health Organization (https://www.who.int/) 4 • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019 - ncov/index.html) • Arizona Department of Health Services (https://www.azdhs.gov/) • Pima County Health Department (https://webcms.pima.gov/cms/One.aspx?portalId=169&pageId=527452) The Town of Marana does not have additional information other than what is publicly available on the listed websites. These are the Town’s initial steps in proactive promotion of responsible citizenship to limit spread of COVID-19. Similar steps in impacted communities have shown to effectively limit transmission. Staff and officials will continue to monitor and evaluate policies and practices as more information develops. If you have questions, please speak with your super visor.