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Posted by The Huron Hub on Saturday, March 14, 2020

Wayne County Executive Warren C. Evans announced that non-essential county employees will be placed on a two-week paid furlough starting Monday, March 16 until March 29.

This effort is taken to slow the spread of coronavirus and protect the health and safety of employees and residents.

“In furtherance of the declaration of emergency issued by the Governor, Wayne County will take every possible step to slow the spread of Coronavirus while maintaining essential services,” Evans said. “We also recognize the financial hardship and disruption this pandemic is causing. Two paid weeks of leave will help lighten that impact. We’ll continue to monitor as this situation evolves, but we are working to help our employees adjust to a vastly different reality than existed just a few days ago while continuing to serve the public.”

Employees critical to essential services impacting public health and safety will still report to work, as determined by their supervisor or the elected official overseeing their office.

Additional policies will be implemented as the situation evolves in advance of March 30.

Parks will remain open to the public, but the Nankin Mills Interpretive Center and Parks administration office will be closed for two weeks.

All county events will be canceled for 30 days. Events scheduled after April 13 will be re-evaluated as events unfold.

Evans said the County will continue to monitor the situation as it evolves. He said Wayne County will adjust its response and policies accordingly as circumstances require and more information is available.

The county has about 3,500 full-time employees, including sheriff’s deputies in jails and public health professionals reacting to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic.

“Avoiding large crowds, as noted in the Governor’s emergency declaration, helps to slow the spread of this virus, ” said Carol Austerberry, Wayne County Health Officer. “Wayne County is committed to the safety of our residents and visitors. Foregoing large events will help. Wash your hands often, disinfect surfaces, and avoid touching your face.We urge residents to continue to be vigilant with preventive measures and stay home when they can.”

Wayne County is conducting an awareness campaign targeting the most vulnerable residents, including seniors. Educational materials are available at WayneCounty.com.

Residents seeking additional information can call the County’s Coronaviraus info line at 734.287.7870during business hours or 2-1-1, which is available 24 hours a day.

Wayne County partially activated its Public Health Emergency Operations Center on Monday January 20 and fully activiated the center in response to active cases in Wayne County on Wednesday, March 12.

This activation includes daily coordination with staff and community partners dedicated to education and outreach around COVID-19 and prevention of community spread. As the incident expands and resources are made available more functions in the operations center will be opened up to respond appropriately to the situation.

The Wayne County Public Health Division will release locations of possible public exposure in positive cases where all those potentially exposed cannot be identified. The County will continue to update residents, community officials and media on further details in the coming weeks.

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