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Commissioners enact mask requirement for county employees
Trying to erase any gray areas in previous policy, the Putnam County Commissioners on Monday enacted a mask requirement for county employees.
The county had either urged or required masks be worn in the Putnam County Courthouse for much of the COVID-19 pandemic, but Monday’s move was an attempt to keep county business running even as the state and nation continue to see spikes in coronavirus cases.
“I’m in favor of the mandatory masks,” Commissioner Rick Woodall said, noting that most people remain susceptible to the virus.
There was some discussion on how far-reaching the requirement should be, but it was ultimately settled that unless an employee is in a room or a vehicle alone, he or she should be wearing a mask.
County attorney Jim Ensley’s email to department heads Monday afternoon was to the point about the matter.
“Make sure that masks are being worn by all employees while ‘on the clock’ or on the premises of any county-owned facility,” Ensley wrote. “Any questions regarding this policy will be addressed at the next County Commissioner meeting on Dec. 21, 2020 at 9 a.m.”
While there was extensive discussion of the matter, there seemed to be no dissent in the room, as commissioners David Berry and Don Walton joined Woodall in their affirmative votes.
The three commissioners weren’t the only ones, though, as other county officials in the room encouraged them to take such a route.
Putnam County EMS Chief Kelly Russ noted that her department is dealing with COVID-19 patients on a daily basis, yet only two employees have tested positive. She attributes this to strict mask and distancing requirements among the paramedics and EMTs.
“I’ve seen a lot of people without masks in this courthouse,” Russ said. “I think the mask mandate is the way to go.”
With Russ having previously noted that the county has yet to see the full effects of a spike in cases after Thanksgiving, Councilman Larry Parker said the time had come to act.
“We’re going to have to get prepared.”
EMA Director Tom Helmer, who will take over Walton’s commissioner seat on Jan. 1, said such a move was overdue.
“I think we should’ve been mandatory masks a long time ago, for all county employees,” Helmer said.
Ensley perhaps made the best point.
“We’ve had kids who have been going to school wearing a mask every day, every second they have been in school since August,” he said. “I don’t know why it’s so hard for adults.”
The new mandate does not change the limited access to the Putnam County Courthouse, in which the offices are open by appointment only.
However, attempting to keep offices open was another topic of discussion. The Putnam County Auditor’s Office is currently closed until Friday, the second time it has had to take such a measure in recent weeks.
Clerk Heather Gilbert, whose office requires workers to be in closer proximity to one another than several other county offices, put forth a request to impose a hybrid schedule, in which half of the staff works on Mondays, Tuesdays and then the first half of Wednesday, while the other crew works Wednesday afternoon followed by full days on Thursday and Friday.
The potential problem is that a shutdown of the Clerk’s Office would also bring Circuit Court and Superior Court business grinding to a halt.
“That way, we can keep the courts running,” Gilbert said. “If one team gets COVID, we won’t have to close the office down.”
After some discussion, the commissioners ultimately approved the plan.
They also asked that other department heads prepare a plan to deal with potential quarantine or shutdown problems.
For example, the auditor, recorder, assessor and plat office have all ordered laptops to allow for employees to work from home.
However, the computers are currently back ordered, as workplaces around the country continue to deal with the effects of COVID-19.
Other county department heads have been asked to attend the Dec. 21 meeting to share their COVID plans with the commissioners.