City Of Bartow issued the following announcement on Oct. 02.
CITY OF BARTOW
From the desk of the City Manager
Administrative Order No. 21-02
September 30, 2021
RE: Continuation and Modification of Temporary City Operating Policies Due to Recent Surge in Local Spread of COVID-19
Dear Citizens and Employees:
The policies implemented by Administrative Order 21-01 shall continue to remain in effect until further notice.
To continue to help slow community spread and counteract the current local surge in COVID-19 infections, effective Tuesday, October 5, 2021 at 6:00 A.M., the following modified operating policy for the City of Bartow, Florida is temporarily instituted by this administrative order:
Use of City facilities.
For the next 60 days, the City will not accept any new reservation requests for rental or use of its indoor public facilities, with the exception of new reservation requests made by or for Civic Groups, City Programs and School-Related Athletic Events. No “high risk” sports or extracurricular activities as identified in the COVID-19 Prevention Strategies Most Important for Safe In-Person Learning in K-12 Schools shall be permitted in City indoor facilities during this period.
Persons and organizations with confirmed rental agreements or arrangements for the use of the City’s indoor public facilities will be permitted to hold the specific related scheduled events, however City staff is both directed and empowered to place a reasonable capacity limitation on these events, consistent with applicable social distancing recommendations, of no greater than 50% of regular venue occupancy. Persons and organizations holding events at the City’s indoor public facilities are strongly encouraged to follow all recommendations and guidelines issued by the Florida Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control to limit the potential spread of coronavirus disease.
Requests for the use of the City’s indoor public facilities will have their requests considered on a case-by-case basis. Such requests will be closely scrutinized and may be denied based on the requested date of the event, applicable public health data and the extent of viral spread within the greater Polk County community.
City Hall, the Bartow Public Library and all City of Bartow Parks and Playgrounds shall continue to be open for regular business and activities according to customary schedules. There are no changes to be made at this time to the City-sponsored recreation activities calendar, although persons participating in indoor recreation activities are strongly encouraged to wear face coverings.
Consistent with recently adopted Florida law, the City will not require any person to provide documentation certifying COVID-19 vaccination or post-infection recovery to gain access to City facilities, to enter upon City-owned properties, or to enjoy the benefits of municipal services. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the City strongly encourages all citizens and employees to discuss the risks and benefits of COVID-19 vaccination with a doctor or trained medical professional to help reduce the spread and impact of coronavirus disease.
/s/ George A. Long
City Manager, City of Bartow, Florida
Original source can be found here.
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