Suisun City Enacts COVID-19 Control Measures

From the City of Suisun City:

March 12, 2020

Read the City’s full statement here.

In response to the Governor’s March 12 Executive Order and to protect our residents, the City of Suisun City is instituting measures to implement social distancing and other safeguards to limit the spread of COVID-19.

The City of Suisun City takes the health and safety of our citizens and staff very seriously and we are also taking increased measures to ensure that as a city we are able to continue to provide quality service to our community.

The Suisun City Senior Center will suspend operations beginning Monday, March 16th until further notice. The Suisun City Senior Center routinely has more than ten people in close proximity for lunches and other programming and it is not practicable to continue the program while maintaining the congregation and social distancing limitations.

According to the Solano Public Health, vulnerable populations at high risk for severe COVID-19 illness include people over 60, especially those over 80, and people of any age with underlying health conditions, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, heart disease, chronic lung diseases, or severely weakened immune systems.

Other city facilities, such as City Hall, the Police Department, the Joe Nelson Community Center, and Fire Station 47 will continue to operate but with some limitations:

• The Police Department always has limited access due to normal safety protocols and no significant changes are anticipated at this time. The Police Department lobby is open for those who need to conduct business with the Police Department.
• The Joe Nelson Community Center will continue to operate normally for the time being.
• Fire Station 47 has begun limiting access to the public in order to limit potential accidental exposure that might result in quarantine of personnel or closure of the station for intensive cleaning.
• City Hall has enacted some additional sanitization and social distancing protocols and may begin to limit public access in order to reduce potential for exposure to staff or to the public.

Under the Governor’s declaration of a state of emergency, the City’s Municipal Code allows the City Manager to take preventative steps to protect the public.

“Based on the Governor’s Executive Order, while we need to continue to have City Council meetings and other meetings at City Hall, we have implemented mitigation measures, including social distancing and sanitization protocols, and are considering others as may be warranted in the future,” said City Manager Greg Folsom.

“We have separated the seating in the Council Chambers to allow for personal space, increased the number of hand sanitizers, and will sanitize the Chambers before and after any meeting held there. Meetings may also begin to be held telephonically rather than in person and we may move to reduce the hours that City Hall is open to the public and/or make staff available on an appointment only basis,” Folsom said.

Additional First Responder Precautions

Public safety staff have acquired additional personal protective equipment and have enacted enhanced protocols to protect first responders in the event of exposure to persons with known or possible COVID-19.

“Don’t be alarmed if you see our first responders in face masks, gloves, eye protection, and other personal protective equipment when they are responding to medical emergencies,” said Fire Chief Justin Vincent. “These protocols are in place so that we do not lose our first responders to quarantine after a potential interaction with a COVID-19 positive patient as several other fire departments in California have already.”

Take Common Sense Health Precautions

“Our grocery stores, shops, and restaurants are still open for business. Enjoy them as your health permits and always take the necessary precautions,” said Mayor Lori Wilson. “Solano County Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control continue to stress that washing your hands, avoiding people who are sick, and staying home when you are sick are the most important ways to protect yourself and mitigate the spread of coronavirus and the flu. I highly encourage everyone to take this advice.”

We will continue to monitor the situation and will update our website if there are any future changes to City Hall hours.

For more information and links to additional resources, please visit our Coronavirus (COVID-19) page , or access the Solano County Public Health website or the Public Health Warm Line at 707-784-8988.

Read the City’sfull statement here.

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