MUSCATINE, Iowa – The City of Muscatine has implemented additional public safety measures for staff and the public when they are inside City facilities. The measures were approved by the Muscatine City Council last week and were implemented on Monday, Nov. 9.
“In collaboration with department directors, we are issuing this policy now to ensure that we are doing all we can as an organization to protect the health and safety of our colleagues,” Carol Webb, City Administrator, said.
The key point of the policy is for employees to wear a face covering while they are at work.
It is also the expectation that any member of the public who has business inside a City building (City Hall, Public Safety, etc.), wear a face covering while inside the building.
The policy identifies several situations where the employee may remove their face covering including: when the employee is working independently at their workspace, when the employee is able to maintain a safe distance of six feet from colleagues and customers, when employees are not moving about in an indoor public space (hallways, public restrooms, etc.), when it is impractical to wear a face covering (eating, sleeping, etc.), or when temporarily removing a face covering for purposes of identification or in other similar cases.
A face covering is not necessary for employees when they are performing work outside and they have the ability to maintain a safe distance of six feet.
While the CDC indicates that a face covering can help prevent the spread of the disease, it is most effective when combined with other safety measures such as social distancing, frequent hand washing, and cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched surfaces. A reference sheet that includes these and other measures provided by the CDC is available at PREVENT GETTING SICK.
“The most important thing we can do to protect the health of our colleagues and the public is to stay home when you are sick,” Webb said. “And be sure to wash your hands regularly in addition to wearing a face covering whenever possible.”
In addition, maintenance, janitorial, or other assigned staff continue to practice enhanced sanitation in high traffic/high touch areas of City facilities. Additional sanitation measures are implemented when an exposure has been reported.
“We have also asked staff to consider holding meetings virtually whenever possible,” Webb said. “If it is not practical to do so, find a big enough space to practice social distancing or to limit the number of attendees.”
It is the goal of the City to properly balance the need to provide a safe and healthy workplace for employees with still providing necessary services to citizens.