Healdsburg Coronavirus Update -March 16

From the City of Healdsburg:

March 16, 2020

City of Healdsburg to close City facilities to public and cancel all commission meetings March 17-April 3 to slow spread of coronavirus; City to provide vital City services onlyMarch 16 City Council meeting will be held; community members can view remotely via livestream

Healdsburg, Calif. – The City of Healdsburg will close all City facilities – such as City Hall, Community Center, and Senior Center – to the public from March 17 – April 3 but will continue to provide vital City services such as electric and water services, law enforcement and fire services, and public communications. These changes are necessary to help protect community members and City staff from contracting the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

In addition, the City has canceled City commission meetings (Planning, Parks & Recreation and Senior Citizen Advisory) from March 17 – April 3. The March 16 City Council meeting will be held as regularly scheduled. As a reminder, community members can view the meeting live via their computer or other mobile device instead of attending in-person and can submit public comments via email.

Closure of City facilities and City Council and Commission meetings may be extended if necessary.

Vital City Services to Continue

All City of Healdsburg employees have taken a loyalty oath to protect the health and safety of the lives and property of Healdsburg community members. As such, all City Staff have been designated as disaster-servicer workers in emergencies and will continue to report to work as usual. These are the vital City services that will continue during this crisis.

• Law Enforcement
• Fire Services
• Electric Service
• Water and Wastewater Service
• Building Inspections
• Public Communications

Social-Distancing and other Health Protocols

There will be very limited public seating in the Council Chamber at City Hall (401 Grove Street) for the March 16 meeting. Chairs for the public have been spaced at six feet apart from each other; this is a social-distancing guideline recommended by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Sonoma County Public Health Officer and the California Department of Public Health (CDPH).

In addition to observing 6-foot spacing between people, the City of Healdsburg will practice these other health protocols at all public meetings:

• Any individuals who do not feel well should not attend a meeting in-person.
• Individuals 65 and over, as well as individuals with chronic health conditions, should not attend City Council and Commission meetings per guidelines from California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
• All individuals must wash their hands prior to entering the council chamber.
• Hand sanitizer will be provided on the dais.
• The City will thoroughly clean the council chamber, including the dais, prior to each meeting.
• City employees who need to present on agenda items should not enter the council chamber until their item is called.
• Public meetings will continue to be livestreamed.
• Public comments will be received by the City Council and Commissions via email. This “e-comment” period will be open for the full meeting and a City employee will monitor the emails and read them when called upon by the Mayor.
• Any Council Member who does not want to attend a meeting in-person can attend via conference call. This is subject to the governor’s executive order waiving certain Brown Act requirements.

How to livestream City Council meetings on computer

Community members can always view City Council meetings live on the City website at the following link: http://healdsburgca.iqm2.com/Citizens/default.aspx. Viewers should click the live video link, which will show up a few minutes before 6 p.m., to watch the meeting. To participate in the “public comment” periods of the March 16 meeting, community members can email comments prior to the meeting to publiccomment@ci.healdsburg.ca.us. Please state the agenda item number in the subject of the email.

For the latest information about the coronavirus in Sonoma County and advice from health experts on prevention and care, call 2-1-1, text your zip code to 898-211 or visit www.socoemergency.org.

Updates on how the City of Healdsburg is helping to keep the community safe and informed in regards to the coronavirus can be found on the City website (www.cityofhealdsburg.org), Facebook page (www.facebook.com/cityofhealdsburg), and Nextdoor (https://nextdoor.com/agency-detail/ca/healdsburg/city-of-healdsburg/ ).

This press release was produced by the City of Healdsburg. The views expressed here are the author’s own.