DEERFIELD — Town officials have approved a reopening plan for town offices, which have largely remained closed since March when the public health crisis arose.
“We’ve kept the Town Hall fairly closed down, just so none of our workers are at risk,” said Carolyn Shores Ness, a Selectboard member who also serves on the Board of Health. “Because of that, we haven’t had any issues.”
The plan — which includes a phased-in approach to employees returning to their workplaces and formalizes the use of a daily log for employees to certify they do not have COVID-19 symptoms — is meant to serve as a guide for department heads to follow. The document was approved at a recent Selectboard meeting and posted to the town website on Tuesday.
The document outlines a five-phased plan mirroring guidance put forth by the state. Each phase, according to the document, will last a minimum of three weeks.
“If public health data trends are negative (meaning that case numbers increase), specific industries, regions, and/or the entire commonwealth may need to return to an earlier phase,” reads a note from the Selectboard and Board of Health on the first page of the plan.
The document also details proper hygiene protocol, cleaning procedures, face covering expectations and social distancing guidelines.
The five-phased reopening begins with Phase A — staff returning to work in a phased manner, as determined by supervisors. Phase B allows for reopening of buildings to the public by appointment only, and Phase C allows the reopening of buildings with reduced hours and limited capacity.
Currently, the town is operating in Phase B.
And finally, in Phase D, town facilities open with regular hours, and then in Phase E, all safety protocol will be suspended until further notice.
Before returning to work, employees will be asked to certify they have none of the known symptoms of COVID-19. After that, they will sign off each day to certify they are still symptom-free.
“The idea is to trigger every day a reminder that we have to stay on our game, we have to be careful,” Shores Ness said. “We are asking our employees to be extra careful.”
Selectboard and Board of Health member Trevor McDaniel asked if there was an online way to keep track of the daily log of self-certification, but Town Administrator Kayce Warren said the town doesn’t have a universal login for that to be possible.
She added that, in situations such as at the Transfer Station, where employees often remain on-site for their shift rather than begin their day at Town Hall, a log can be kept there for efficiency.
Shores Ness said the daily log formalizes what they’ve already asked employees who have returned to work to do.
“This is localized in every office,” she said. “People are responsible for themselves.”
Mary Byrne can be reached at mbyrne@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 263. Twitter: @MaryEByrne