Starting Monday, Aug. 9, the Town of Fountain Hills requires all office employees and the general public who enter Town facilities to wear face coverings. This order is due to the rising number of Delta Variant (COVID-19) infections in Maricopa County.
Employees are not required to wear face coverings in their workspace except when one or more people come into their workspace. The Town is also asking employees and the public to maintain a distance of 6 feet when meeting or talking in Town facilities.
Public meetings in Town Hall will reinstate physical distancing seating of 6 feet, in addition to wearing face coverings.
The Maricopa County Library District recently announced that its employees and Library patrons at the Fountain Hills branch library would be required to wear face coverings starting on Monday, Aug. 9. The Town of Fountain Hills buildings includes Town Hall, Community Center, Public Works Yard, and Maricopa County Library District branch in Fountain Hills.
While the high number of vaccinations resulted in a significant drop in COVID-19 cases at the beginning of the summer, the number of new COVID cases in Maricopa County, particularly the Delta variant, is rising. Though fully vaccinated individuals have increased protection from severe illness and possible hospitalization resulting from the variant infection, “breakthrough” infections are on the rise from those who have received vaccinations. Research shows that the Delta variant can be more easily transmitted to others than the previous strain of COVID-19. These precautions are being taken to protect Town employees and the public from the variant.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recently provided updated guidelines for vaccinated individuals and face coverings, including wearing face coverings inside indoor settings.
The Town will continue requiring and providing disposable face coverings to the public who come into Town Hall and the Community Center when it reopens after its remodeling.