City of Spokane limiting in-person meetings as employee COVID-19 cases hit record high

Spokane City Hall is scaling back in-person meetings due to a surge of COVID-19 cases among city employees.

An all-time high of 46 employees, about 2% of the city’s approximately 2,300-person workforce, tested positive for the virus last week.

It was the second consecutive week of record COVID-19 cases among city employees.

In response to that trend, City Administrator Johnnie Perkins issued a directive on Wednesday to shift meetings and employee training to a virtual setting or delay them until at least next month.

The city will reevaluate its position on in-person meetings next month when it is expected the spike in cases driven by the omicron variant could wane.

Perkins also reiterated that masks are required unless an employee is at their workstation or inside their vehicle alone.

He warned that “repeated violations can result in a record of counseling and entering into the progressive discipline process.”

The surge mirrors that of the broader community.

Daily case counts across Spokane County have dwarfed those of previous surges throughout the pandemic, according to Spokane Regional Health District data.

Thus far, there has not been a drastic impact to city operations like solid waste pickup, said city spokesman Brian Coddington.

“The city has been operating for quite some time in a hybrid environment that allows teams to strategically manage the number of staff members in the office at any one time,” Coddington said.

That works well for those in an office but not as well for those out in the field.

“The other variable starting to appear is more positive tests among the remote workers, which seems to be mirroring the struggles in the schools and other organizations,” Coddington said.