CALDWELL, Idaho — Caldwell's City Hall, the public library, and other city buildings are set to close to the public next week amid a rise in COVID-19 infections.
The closure will begin Monday, Sept. 27 and be reevaluated Nov. 1 or "once we get through the surge of coronavirus cases," city officials wrote.
Buildings affected include the Caldwell Airport, Caldwell Public Library, Caldwell Fire Department, Caldwell Event Center offices, City Hall, Parks and Recreation offices, and the Planning and Zoning, Building, Engineering, Water, Waste Water Treatment, Cemetery, and Street Department offices.
Golf courses will remain open, and outdoor city recreation activities will continue, but indoor classes and events at the Events Center will be suspended.
All city departments will continue to function and will remain fully staffed. Employees are asked to wear masks and practice social distancing while in the office; some may be allowed to work from home.
"All city employees provide essential services to the public, and we would like to thank them for their continued hard work," officials wrote in the announcement.
All public hearings at Caldwell City Council will be postponed to Nov. 1, while Planning and Zoning public hearings will be postponed until Nov. 9. Both virtual and in-person options to watch the meetings will be offered in the meantime for City Council, officials said, but social distancing requirements will be put in place.
Curbside pickup of books reserve online will still be available at the Caldwell Library, but the building itself will be closed. Library programs will be continued virtually.
The restrictions come after Idaho moved to expand crisis standards of care statewide, signaling that hospitals are no longer able to keep u with the deluge of COVID-19 cases.
At KTVB, we’re focusing our news coverage on the facts and not the fear around the virus. To see our full coverage, visit our coronavirus section, here: www.ktvb.com/coronavirus.
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