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4.2 SR 07-06-2020 Request for Action To Item Number Mayor and City Council 4.2 Agenda Section Meeting Date Prepared by Consent July 6, 2020 Cal Portner, City Administrator Item Description Reviewed by COVID-19 Preparedness Plan Reviewed by Action Requested Approve, by motion, the COVID-19 Preparedness Plan for the City of Elk River. Background/Discussion A recent Emergency Executive Order by Governor Walz required critical business and governmental operations to establish COVID-19 Preparedness Plans and have them adopted by their governing board by June 29, 2020. The Governor directed state agencies to provide guidance to local governments by June 15. The city administrator had outlined a plan at the onset of the pandemic for critical city and liquor operations. On June 15, 2020, the Council approved the city and liquor operations plan and directed the city administrator to implement changes as necessary to be in state compliance and bring changes to the Council to approve at their next available meeting. The newest version of the template added Workplace Building and Ventilation Protocol and combined some of the sanitation and communication items. This document was distributed to employee worksites on June 29 in accordance with the executive order. Financial Impact N/A Attachments  City of Elk River COVID-19 Preparedness Plan The Elk River Vision A welcoming community with revolutionary and spirited resourcefulness, exceptional service, and community engagement that encourages and inspires prosperity Version 6 15 2020 COVID-19 Preparedness Plan for the City of Elk River, Minnesota Elk River is committed to providing a safe and healthy workplace for our workers, customers, and visitors. To ensure we have a safe and healthy workplace, we have developed the following COVID-19 Preparedness Plan in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Managers and workers are all responsible for implementing this plan. Our goal is to mitigate the potential for transmission of COVID-19 in our workplaces and communities, and that requires full cooperation among our workers and management. Only through this cooperative effort can we establish and maintain the safety and health of all persons in our workplaces. The COVID-19 Preparedness Plan is administered by the city administrator, who maintains the overall authority and responsibility for the plan. However, management and workers are equally responsible for supporting, implementing, complying with, and providing recommendations to further improve all aspects of this COVID-19 Preparedness Plan. Elk River’s managers and supervisors have our full support in enforcing the provisions of this plan. Our workers are our most important assets. The city is serious about safety and health and protecting its workers. Worker involvement is essential in developing and implementing a successful COVID-19 Preparedness Plan. We have involved our workers in this process by initially holding daily meetings with department directors and key managers to gather information, discuss areas of concern and identify policy and facility improvements to resolve concerns. The directors and key managers met with their respective employees to share this information and receive further feedback. Following the initial implementation, directors and key managers met twice weekly to share operational information, discuss further employee feedback and the operational status of their work areas. Elk River’s COVID-19 Preparedness Plan follows the industry guidance developed by the state of Minnesota, which is based upon Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) guidelines for COVID-19, Minnesota Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MNOSHA) statutes, rules and standards, and Minnesota’s relevant and current executive orders. It addresses:  ensuring sick workers stay home and prompt identification and isolation of sick persons;  social distancing – workers must be at least six-feet apart;  worker hygiene and source controls;  workplace building and ventilation protocol;  workplace cleaning and disinfection protocol;  drop-off, pick-up and delivery practices and protocol; and  communications and training practices and protocol. Elk River has reviewed and incorporated the industry guidance applicable to our business provided by the state of Minnesota for the development of this plan, including the following industry guidance for critical and governmental operations. Other conditions and circumstances included in the industry guidance and addressed in the plan that are specific to our business include:  additional protections and protocols for customers, clients, guests and visitors;  additional protections and protocols for personal protective equipment (PPE);  additional protections and protocol for access and assignment;  additional protections and protocol for sanitation and hygiene;  additional protections and protocols for work clothes and handwashing;  additional protections and protocol for distancing and barriers;  additional protections and protocols for managing occupancy;  additional protocols to limit face-to-face interaction;  additional protections for receiving or exchanging payment; and  additional protections and protocols for certain types of businesses within an industry. Ensure sick workers stay home and prompt identification and isolation of sick persons Workers have been informed of and encouraged to self-monitor for signs and symptoms of COVID-19. The following policies and procedures are being implemented to assess workers’ health status prior to entering the workplace and for workers to report when they are sick or experiencing symptoms. Employees shall monitor their temperature each day before reporting to work. If a fever or other symptoms consistent with COVID-19 are identified they shall immediately notify their supervisor and/or Human Resources. Employees at the work site who exhibit signs and/or symptoms of COVID-19 shall notify their supervisor and/or Human Resources. They will be directed to leave the work site immediately. Upon consultation with their physician, they shall not report to work until cleared by their physician, symptoms have subsided, and they are without a fever for three (3) days. Supervisors shall notify HR as soon as possible. If an employee experiencing symptoms is unable to leave work immediately, they shall immediately quarantine themselves from all other persons until they are able to leave the job site. Elk River has implemented leave policies that promote workers staying at home when they are sick, when household members are sick, or when required by a health care provider to isolate or quarantine themselves or a member of their household. Employees may utilize sick leave or other accrued paid leaves when they are sick, or quarantined due to a potential exposure. If they have no leave balances, in a pandemic they may request donated leave for illness or quarantine. Accommodations for workers with underlying medical conditions or who have household members with underlying health conditions have been implemented. Employees are encouraged to work from home as work exists if they have underlying medical conditions or have household members with underlying health conditions. If work does not exist, employees may utilize sick leave, vacation, or available compensatory time. Elk River has also implemented a policy for informing employees if they have been exposed to a person with COVID-19 at their workplace and requiring them to quarantine for the required amount of time. Human Resources shall interview any person contracting COVID-19 at work and identify all potential personnel contacts. Each potential contact will be informed of a possible exposure and required to quarantine for seven (7) days and monitor for fever and other symptoms. If fever and symptom free at the conclusion of the quarantine, the employee may return to work. In addition, a policy has been implemented to protect the privacy of employees’ health status and health information. Human Resources will be the sole contact for protection of health status and information. Social distancing – Workers must be at least six-feet apart Social distancing of at least six feet will be implemented and maintained between workers, customers, and visitors in the workplace through the following engineering and administrative controls: City Hall, the Wastewater Treatment Facility, Fire Stations 1 &2, Trout Brook Barn, Activity Center 55+ and the Public Works Facility are closed to the public. The Police Station has a physical barrier between the public and employees. City Hall employees who can work from home have been allowed to take their laptop and desktop pc and monitors home. VPN access is provided for those who need to access city servers. The remaining City Hall employees are socially distanced in their offices or workstations. Cleaning supplies, latex gloves and masks are provided as needed. Signs are posted reminding employees to social distance. Field staff have keys to their vehicle and do not enter City Hall if they do not need to. Appointments are made when public meetings are needed. Drop offs are at the front door with a number to call at the front desk. Public Works employees each have their own vehicle and practice social distancing in the field. Critical or emergency work interactions will utilize all necessary PPE. Noncritical work requiring close interaction will be postponed. Public Safety employees use social distancing and have sanitation and PPE materials posted throughout the facility. Employees, visitors, and customers are prohibited from gathering in groups. Employees and visitors are prohibited from gathering in confined areas, including elevators, and from using other employees’ personal protective equipment, phones, computer equipment, desks, cubicles, workstations, offices or other personal work tools and equipment. Council and Commission meeting rooms will have socially spaced seating. Public access and egress will be in a one-way, counterclockwise direction. Rooms will be sanitized before and after each meeting as will door handles, chair seat arms and speaker’s podium. Hand sanitizer and tissues with wastebasket will be in the chambers. Overflow room is available when capacity is met. Participants may watch or present remotely through Zoom or web streaming. At polling stations for local elections voters will be kept at least 6 feet apart. When not feasible, efforts will be made to keep individuals as far apart as is practical. Feasibility of strategies will depend on the space available in the polling station and the number of voters who arrive at one time. Election judges can:  Increase distance between voting booths.  Limit nonessential visitors. (will be encouraged not to bring children, grandchildren)  Remind voters upon arrival to try to leave space between themselves and others. Encourage voters to stay 6 feet apart if feasible. Signs will be provided to help voters and workers remember.  Discourage voters and election judge workers from greeting others with physical contact (e.g., handshakes). Include this reminder on signs about social distancing. If feasible access and egress will be in a one-way direction. Rooms will be sanitized before and after each election as will door handles, chairs, and tables. Election judges will clean and disinfect voting-associated equipment (e.g., voting machines, laptops, tablets, keyboards) routinely as well. Worker hygiene and source controls Basic infection prevention measures are being implemented at our workplaces at all times. Workers are instructed to wash their hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and water frequently throughout the day, but especially at the beginning and end of their shift, prior to any mealtimes and after using the restroom. All visitors to the facility will be required to wash their hands prior to or immediately upon entering the facility. Some workplaces may have hand-sanitizer dispensers (that use sanitizers of greater than 60% alcohol) that can be used for hand hygiene in place of soap and water if hands are not visibly soiled. Hand sanitizers are available in areas where social distancing human interaction may take place. If there is no sanitizer in a meeting area, employees shall contact their supervisor so sanitizer can be provided. In the meantime, employees are encouraged to continue with proper handwashing after each interaction and to not touch their face. Drop-off, pick-up and delivery contacts shall be minimized by requiring such deliveries to be left at the front door or in the vestibule. Latex gloves are available to retrieve deliveries and employees shall wash their hands after making such contact. Employees and visitors are being instructed to cover their mouth and nose with their sleeve or a tissue when coughing or sneezing and to avoid touching their face, in particular their mouth, nose and eyes, with their hands. They should dispose of tissues in the trash and wash or sanitize their hands immediately afterward. Respiratory etiquette will be demonstrated on posters and supported by making tissues and trash receptacles available to all employees and visitors. Reminder notes are placed throughout city facilities and employees are frequently reminded of proper respiratory etiquette. Workplace building and ventilation protocol Operation of the building in which the workplace is located, includes necessary sanitation, assessment, and maintenance of building systems, including water, plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. The city follows ASHRAE & CDC Reopening Guidelines which increases airborne exposures by increasing ventilation and increasing filtration. Specifically, building air will be flushed for two full hours prior to the first expected occupancy and the air will be flushed again for two full hours post-occupancy or after closing. The maximum amount of fresh air is being brought into the workplace, air recirculation is being limited, and ventilation systems are being properly used and maintained. Steps are also being taken to minimize air flow blowing across people. HVAC systems have been inspected and will continually be inspected to ensure they are commissioned correctly. All zones and spaces throughout buildings will be monitored for temperature and humidity. They will use outside air economization to maximize airflow and free cooling. And, temperatures in each zone or office will be kept above the recommended dew point temperature at all times. Workplace cleaning and disinfection protocol Regular practices of cleaning and disinfecting have been implemented, including a schedule for routine cleaning and disinfecting of work surfaces, equipment, tools and machinery, vehicles and areas in the work environment, including restrooms, break rooms, lunch rooms, meeting rooms, checkout stations, locker rooms, and drop-off and pick-up locations. Frequent cleaning and disinfecting is being conducted of high-touch areas, including phones, keyboards, touch screens, controls, door handles, elevator panels, railings, copy machines, credit card readers, delivery equipment, etc. General daily cleaning is completed by city custodial staff. Special meeting cleaning will be completed by city staff facilitating the meeting. Employees are expected to maintain their own office and workstation in a sanitized manner. Appropriate and effective cleaning and disinfecting supplies have been purchased and are available for use in accordance with product labels, safety data sheets and manufacturer specifications, and are being used with required personal protective equipment for the product. Clorox wipes or other approved materials are available for cleaning surfaces. Custodial staff will utilize at prescribed intervals an ionizing fogger upon receipt. The same products will be used to disinfect all areas contacted by an employee diagnosed with COVID-19. Drop-off, pick-up and delivery practices, and protocol For city buildings not open to the public, signs with phone numbers are posted for delivery personnel to drop off items. Upon delivery, the package will be left at the front door or foyer and the phone number shall be called to inform employees. For city buildings open to the public, packages will be left behind the sneeze guard. Employees will have latex gloves available for handling deliveries and shall follow general pandemic hygiene protocols. Employees who make deliveries shall wear protective equipment and maintain safe social distancing and hygiene protocols. Communications and training practices and protocol This Preparedness Plan was communicated by email from Human Resources and verbally by management staff to all employees on June 16 and updated effected June 29 and necessary training was provided. Additional communication and training will be ongoing by city email from Human Resources and verbally from management staff and provided to all employees who did not receive the initial training. Instructions will be communicated to all workers, including employees, temporary workers, staffing and, independent contractors, subcontractors, vendors and outside technicians customers and guests about protections and protocols, including: 1) social distancing protocols and practices; 2) drop-off, pick-up, delivery and general in-store shopping; 3) practices for hygiene and respiratory etiquette; 4) recommendations or requirements regarding the use of masks, face-coverings and/or face-shields by workers, customers, guests and visitors will also be advised not to enter the workplace if they are experiencing symptoms or have contracted COVID-19. Managers and supervisors are to monitor how effective the program has been implemented by periodically observing employee interactions and work, regularly reviewing sanitation and PPE supplies and frequently soliciting feedback from employees regarding their efforts, comfort level, expectations, and suggestions to improve safety and performance. Management and employees are to work through this new program together and update the training, as necessary. This COVID-19 Preparedness Plan has been certified by Elk River management, approved by the Elk River City Council, and was posted throughout the workplace on June 16, 2020. It will be updated, as necessary. Certified by: Calvin P. Portner City Administrator Appendix A – Guidance for developing a COVID-19 Preparedness Plan General Centers for Disease Controal and Prevention (CDC): Coronavirus (COVID-19) – www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019- nCoV Minnesota Department of Health (MDH): Coronavirus – www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/coronavirus State of Minnesota: COVID-19 response – https://mn.gov/covid19 Businesses CDC: Resources for businesses and employers – www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019- ncov/community/organizations/businesses-employers.html CDC: General business frequently asked questions – www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/general- business-faq.html CDC: Building/business ventilation – www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/guidance-business- response.html MDH: Businesses and employers: COVID-19 – www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/coronavirus/businesses.html MDH: Health screening checklist – www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/coronavirus/facilityhlthscreen.pdf MDH: Materials for businesses and employers – www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/coronavirus/materials Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED): COVID-19 information and resources – https://mn.gov/deed/newscenter/covid/ Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI): Updates related to COVID-19 – www.dli.mn.gov/updates Federal OSHA – www.osha.gov Handwashing MDH: Handwashing video translated into multiple languages – www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdQuPGVcceg Respiratory etiquette: Cover your cough or sneeze CDC: www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/prevention.html CDC: www.cdc.gov/healthywater/hygiene/etiquette/coughing_sneezing.html MDH: www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/coronavirus/prevention.html Social distancing CDC: www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/guidance-business-response.html MDH: www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/coronavirus/businesses.html Housekeeping CDC: www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/disinfecting-building-facility.html CDC: www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/disinfecting-your-home.html CDC: www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/organizations/cleaning-disinfection.html Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): www.epa.gov/pesticide-registration/list-n-disinfectants-use-against- sars-cov-2 Employees exhibiting signs and symptoms of COVID-19 CDC: www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/if-you-are-sick/steps-when-sick.html MDH: www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/coronavirus/basics.html MDH: www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/coronavirus/facilityhlthscreen.pdf MDH: www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/coronavirus/returntowork.pdf State of Minnesota: https://mn.gov/covid19/for-minnesotans/if-sick/get-tested/index.jsp Training CDC: www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/guidance-small-business.html Federal OSHA: www.osha.gov/Publications/OSHA3990.pdf MDH: www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/coronavirus/about.pdf