Resolution 02-2020 

VILLAGE OF EPHRAIM

DECLARATION OF HEALTH EMERGENCY

 

WHEREAS, The infectious disease named COVID-19 has been identified in the State of Wisconsin as a disease which can spread through the community as a danger to public health and safety; and

WHEREAS, No cases of such disease have yet been diagnosed in the Village of Ephraim, but the Village residents and visitors are at increasing risk of contracting such disease; and

WHEREAS, The World Health Organization has declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, and the United States Department of Health and Human Services has declared a Public Health Emergency; and

WHEREAS, Wisconsin Governor Anthony Evers has issued Executive Order #72 declaring a health emergency in response to the COVID-19 Coronavirus; and

WHEREAS, In order to protect the health and well-being of its residents, the Village of Ephraim must avail itself of all resources at its disposal to respond to and contain the Presence of COVID-19 in the Village.

 

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Village Board of the Village of Ephraim, Wisconsin, as follows:

1. Pursuant to the powers available under Wisconsin Statutes Sections 11, 323.14, 323.15 and all other applicable provisions of Wisconsin Law, a Public Health Emergency is Declared in the Village of  Ephraim consistent with the statewide declaration of a public health emergency by Governor Evers, and the declaration of emergency by the Door County Board of Supervisors and County Administrator ;

2. The Village of Ephraim is authorized under this declaration to make use of volunteer health practitioners to maintain and restore the health, safety, protection and welfare of persons and property within the Village of Ephraim.

3. The Village of Ephraim is authorized under this declaration to undertake whatever actions are necessary and expedient for the health, safety, protection and welfare of persons and property, and in doing so may bar, restrict, or remove all unnecessary traffic, both vehicular and pedestrian, from the highways, Village Streets, Businesses including hours of operation and limitations of occupancy for the Village of Ephraim.

4. As this declaration of health emergency is consistent with a similar declaration by Governor Evers applicable to the entire State of Wisconsin, the Village of  Ephraim may employ personnel, facilities, and other resources consistent with an emergency plan adopted to cope with the problems of local

5. Michael McCutcheon, as Village President of the Village of Ephraim, is authorized to undertake and direct the activities outlined herein on behalf of the Village of

6. The period of this emergency declaration shall be limited to the time during which the emergency conditions exist or are likely to exist

Introduced at a special meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Village of Ephraim held this 18^th day of March 2020.

Passed and adopted this 18^th day of March, 2020.

 

 

 

 

Village of Ephraim

Infectious Disease Control Policy

Established 03/18/2020

 

The Village of Ephraim will take proactive steps to protect the workplace in the event of an infectious disease outbreak. It is the goal of the Village of Ephraim during any such time period to strive to operate effectively and ensure that all essential services are continuously provided and that employees are safe within the workplace.

The Village of Ephraim is committed to providing authoritative information about the nature and spread of infectious diseases, including symptoms and signs to watch for, as well as required steps to be taken in the event of an illness or outbreak.

 

Preventing the Spread of Infection in the Workplace

The Village of Ephraim will do all we can to provide a clean workplace, including the regular cleaning of objects and areas that are frequently used, such as bathrooms, break rooms, conference rooms, door handles and railings. Department heads working with the Village Board will monitor and coordinate events around an infectious disease outbreak, as well as to create work rules that could be implemented to promote safety through infection control.

We ask all employees to cooperate in taking steps to reduce the transmission of infectious disease in the workplace. The best strategy remains the most obvious—frequent hand washing with warm, soapy water; covering your mouth whenever you sneeze or cough; and discarding used tissues in wastebaskets. We will also continue to install alcohol-based hand sanitizers throughout the workplace and in common areas.

Employees are asked to continue good hygiene and infection control policies including:

• Promoting frequent and thorough hand washing;
• Encouraging workers to stay home if they are sick;
• Encouraging employees to practice respiratory etiquette, including covering coughs and sneezes.

 

Limiting Travel

All nonessential travel should be avoided until further notice. Employees who travel as an essential part of their job should consult with management on appropriate actions, and necessity of the travel. Employees should be aware that any travel could lead to required self-quarantine. Travel based self-quarantine decisions will be made upon factors such as destination, duration, and mode of transport, and will additionally follow all recommended guidance from DHS and CDC in considering any travel self-quarantine requirements.

 

Telecommuting and working from home

Unless otherwise notified, our normal attendance and leave policies will remain in place. Individuals who believe they may face particular challenges reporting to work during an infectious disease outbreak should take steps to develop any necessary contingency plans if possible. For example, employees might want to arrange for alternative sources of child care should schools close and/or speak with supervisors about the potential to work from home temporarily or on an alternative work schedule.

Telework requests will be handled on a case-by-case basis. While not all positions will be eligible, all requests for temporary telecommuting should be submitted to your manager for consideration.

 

Staying Home When Ill 

Many times, with the best of intentions, employees report to work even though they feel ill. We provide paid sick time and other benefits to compensate employees who are unable to work due to illness.

During an infectious disease outbreak, it is critical that employees do not report to work while they are ill and/or experiencing the following symptoms: Examples include fever, cough, shortness of breath, and may also include sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that people with an infectious illness such as the flu remain at home until at least 24 hours after they are free of fever (100 degrees F) or signs of a fever without the use of fever-reducing medications. The current COVID-19 outbreak requires longer isolation periods. Employees who report to work ill will be sent home in accordance with these health guidelines.

If an employee is unsure of whether to report to work, please call before reporting to the office.

Requests for Medical Information and/or Documentation 

If you are out sick for an extended period of time, it may become necessary to request information from you and/or your health care provider. In general, we would request medical information to confirm your need to be absent, to show whether and how an absence relates to the infection, and to know that it is appropriate for you to return to work. As always, we expect and appreciate your cooperation if and when medical information is sought.

Employees are encouraged to follow the CDC guidance, which may require employees to inform the Village of any positive COVID-19 test results.

Confidentiality of Medical Information 

Our policy is to treat any medical information as a confidential medical record in accordance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). In furtherance of this policy, any disclosure of medical information is in limited circumstances with supervisors, managers, first aid and safety personnel, and government officials as required by law.

 

 

Social Distancing Guidelines for Workplace Infectious Disease Outbreaks

In the event of an infectious disease outbreak, the Village of Ephraim may implement these social distancing guidelines to minimize the spread of the disease among the staff.

During the workday, employees are requested to:

1. Avoid meeting people face-to-face if possible. Employees are encouraged to use the telephone, online conferencing, e-mail or instant messaging to conduct business as much as possible.
2. If a face-to-face meeting is unavoidable, minimize the meeting time, choose a large meeting room and sit at least one yard from each other if possible; avoid person-to-person contact such as shaking hands.
3. Avoid any unnecessary travel and cancel or postpone nonessential meetings, gatherings, workshops and training sessions.
4. Do not congregate in work rooms, pantries, copier rooms or other areas where people socialize.
5. Bring lunch and eat at your desk or away from others (avoid lunchrooms and crowded restaurants).
6. Encourage members and others to request information and orders via phone and e-mail in order to minimize person-to-person contact. If digital information is not available to satisfy a records request, have materials and information ready for fast pick-up.

Outside activities and vehicle use

Employees might be encouraged to the extent possible to:

1. Avoid opportunities for cross contamination by having single employees designated to single vehicles and abide by social distancing guidelines while at work. With this being said vehicle interiors (steering wheel, shifter, seat belts, door knobs, switches, etc…) should be sanitized daily similar to other public spaces.

 

Public Meetings

Social distancing may include the following measures to limit public gatherings by way of open meetings during this time including the following:

1. The village may implement tele-meetings in order for a given committee or board to meet in order to conduct essential village business while avoiding a public gathering. Due notice will be given to all tele-meetings resulting a quorum of a standing board or committee. These meetings will be accessible to the public but will require public comments intended for participation on a given agenda item being submitted via email prior to the meeting.
2. Non-essential meetings of standing village committees will be cancelled or postponed.
3. Applications to the Village requiring public hearings will be postponed while this policy is in place.