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9.e1 Staff Report - Discussion on returning to remote meetingsPage 1 of 2 City of Scandia 14727 209th St. N. PO Box 128, Scandia, Minnesota 55073 Phone (651) 433-2274 Fax (651) 433-5112 http://www.ci.scandia.mn.us DATE: November 12, 2021 TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members FROM: Ken Cammilleri, City Administrator RE: Consideration of Returning to Remote Meetings The City Council has previously requested to revisit the consideration of resuming remote meetings as Covid-19 pandemic conditions continue to shift. This memorandum is intended to provide the City Council will a summary of current conditions. The City Council is further reminded that it's Emergency Declaration pertaining to the Pandemic remains in effect should the City Council choose to adjust its operations and meeting settings to take precautions. As of November 10th, there were 233 daily confirmed cases in Washington County according to the Public Health Department. These figures in comparison to previous data suggest that we are currently within a small surge of cases within the County, and a similar spike can be observed in the figures from Chisago County which remain notably higher, likely due to the County’s lower rate of vaccination. In the context of the fluctuation, it is important to consider the changes in the frequency testing and the overall vaccination rate. In relation to these statistics, we appear to be on an elevated trend but it remains unclear if we have crested the peak of the bell curve. Positivity rates have likely been shifts in testing related to newly imposed employer mandates and other social trends. In addition, the vaccination rate for Washington County is actually relatively high according to the Minnesota Department of Health and the CDC. For children between 5 and 17 years of age, at least 67.6% have received at least their first. For County residents 65 and older, 95.8% have received at least their first jab according to the Minnesota Department of the health. The CDC further reports that Washington County currently has 79.4% of its population over 18 with at least vaccine first dose. At the statewide level, the rate of hospitalizations by week confirms that there has been an upturn in infections. This suggests ER occupancy due to Covid is on the rise, but have not yet neared the critical shortages seen earlier in the pandemic. In response to these conditions, Chief Hinz and I recommend that the City Council continue to utilize the current mixed in-person-virtual meeting arrangement. Current conditions suggest we should still exercise caution by maximizing opportunities for social distancing and encouraging mask use. We further recommend that City meetings continue to be held in the Hall rather than the Boardroom to maximize the opportunity for social distancing. Page 2 of 2 City of Scandia 14727 209th St. N. PO Box 128, Scandia, Minnesota 55073 Phone (651) 433-2274 Fax (651) 433-5112 http://www.ci.scandia.mn.us Please let us know if you have any questions. Also, those interested in learning more about the changes in public health conditions are encouraged to view Washington County’s online Covid 19 Dashboard, the weekly updates from the Minnesota Department of Health, and updates available through the CDC.