(Angela Brown/battlefordsNOW staff) 

By Angela Brown

Customer service

City Hall to re-open doors to public for service on Monday

Jul 10, 2020 | 5:23 PM

After being closed for three months, North Battleford’s City Hall will finally be open again to the public starting Monday.

The city needed to make some improvements to its customer service area on the main floor to comply with the province’s COVID-19 precautions before it was able to reopen. The city installed sneeze guards to protect visitors and staff alike among its efforts.

“We are happy to open city hall to the public again,” Mayor Ryan Bater said. “We have been waiting for the proper PPE [personal protective equipment], including a plexiglass protective apparatus around the service desks to protect the public and city staff.”

He said now that the items are in place, the city will be able to open July 13.

The facility had been closed since mid-March due to the pandemic requirements, but was still able to serve residents online and over the phone as usual.

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The city is asking visitors to city hall to wear non-medical face masks inside the building.

Bater said while it is not required, it is “strongly advised.”

“That is really for any situation where people are out in public, face masks are being encouraged by public health,” he said. “So if you do have a face mask, we do ask that you wear one.”

The city said people should visit city hall only if it is essential since customer space is limited due to the COVID-19 requirements to maintain a social distancing space of at least two metres from others. People can also continue to conduct their transactions with the city over the phone and through the internet as another option.

“The online mechanisms we developed, those are still in place. But for those who feel they need to come to city hall for in-person services they are now available,” the mayor said.

The city is asking anyone who is sick not to visit city hall.

Those accessing the building are advised to limit visits to one member per household, use the hand sanitizer station to disinfect, follow the marked distancing arrows or decals and the entrance and exit flow arrows, cough or sneeze into their arm or tissue and immediately wash their hands, and avoid touching their face, among the COVID-19 protocols.

For city council meetings, Mayor Bater noted they will continue to be held online via Zoom only, for the time being.

“We are exploring that. But for now, there are no immediate plans to resume in-person council meetings,” he said of the current situation.

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angela.brown@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @battlefordsnow