Dover aims to reopen city offices March 8

By Mike Finney
Posted 1/22/21

DOVER — While the number of COVID-19 deaths and cases remain elevated throughout Delaware, city officials are eyeing the future a little more optimistically.

Matt Harline, Dover’s …

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Dover aims to reopen city offices March 8

Posted

DOVER — While the number of COVID-19 deaths and cases remain elevated throughout Delaware, city officials are eyeing the future a little more optimistically.

Matt Harline, Dover’s acting city manager, informed City Council members last week that he and his staff plan to have Dover’s offices open for business March 8.

“My plan is to keep (the city’s) offices closed until March 8, but we’re going to instruct staff to try and ramp up operations, so that we will be at our full strength by March 8, with a ‘full open,’ depending on all the data and all the rest of the positive rates. Also, at that time, many, if not most, of the staff will have had access to (COVID-19) vaccinations, I hope.

“Right now, we’re still working staggered shifts, and the reason why we’re doing this is I want to make sure that there are no phones that are unanswered. We’re ramping up and trying to get our staff more active as long as we’re managing to keep our people physically separated.”

Mr. Harline said that 50 city employees, out of a staff of more than 350, have tested positive for the coronavirus.

“Forty of those (positive COVID cases) took place between Oct. 28 and Dec. 10, so we had a lot of cases in a short period of time,” he said. “Out of all those cases, a very small number were transmitted at work, we believe.

“So I think our strategy (of closely following COVID-19 protocols) is working. We need to keep it going because it reduces the chance of sickness among staff and among families of staff and more vulnerable populations.”

The city offices closed to the public Nov. 5 and were only expected to remain closed for two weeks. Then, the number of positive cases soared.

“We have had a couple of positive tests with some internal staff and their family members,” Kay Sass, emergency management coordinator for the city, said in November. “In order to prevent ... not being able to continue offering all of our services to our constituents, we are being proactive by staggering staff, having a company come in to mist all surfaces and (limiting) any additional exposure.

“We want to limit any exposure to the public, so it is just in everyone’s best interest to close until the proper quarantine/isolation and cleaning is completed,” she said at the time.

In the interim, city business has been conducted via email and phone, and the city’s drive-thru services at 5 E. Reed St. have remained open from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. weekdays.

Mr. Harline said he would be bringing a proposal for a temporary extension of COVID-19 leave before City Council at its virtual meeting Monday night at 7:30. All council meetings have been conducted virtually on Webex since April 13.

The city manager said adding the policy would extend the COVID-19 leave for the city’s employees until June 30, if council approves.

“It doesn’t add any more time to anybody’s total allotment of 80 hours, but it extends it for those who haven’t used it,” Mr. Harline said. “The reason being is it eliminates any temptation not to report if you ... need to be in quarantine because of an exposure. I’m sure anybody who is actually positive is going to report that.

“It’s also an equity issue. Right now, the federal government mandated a special leave up until the end of the first CARES Act on Dec. 31, (2020), so if you got COVID early, you’re good. But if you get it now, you would have to use your own sick leave. That will be extended until the end of the fiscal year with the option of being able to shorten it, if we saw the need.”

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