Centre County makes another change to COVID-19 policies, this time related to face masks
Centre County Commissioners on Tuesday approved a revision to the masking policy for county employees; it now outlines which masks can and can’t be worn.
The masking policy itself has been in place for some time, requiring the masking of employees in all county facilities amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The change in the policy states that employees will need to wear a surgical, N95 or KN95 mask. Officials have held discussions on this change during recent meetings, stating research shows cloth masks don’t work as well as surgical, KN95 or N95 masks.
With that, commissioners also unanimously approved using the county’s American Rescue Plan Act funding to purchase surgical masks; the cost won’t exceed $2,000.
During last week’s commissioners meeting, Kristen Simkins, director of the county’s human resources, said the county could bulk purchase masks for around 8 cents a piece and provide each employee with a packet of masks to last for four to five weeks. A delivery date for the masks was unknown during last week’s meeting, but “expedited delivery” was requested.
Commissioner Michael Pipe said during last week’s meeting that these masks will help provide a safe workplace.
“Unfortunately the cloth masks are not as effective as are the surgical masks. And in terms of washing the cloth masks, that can be time consuming. But just putting on another surgical mask will keep us all safe in the workplace, and again, just reduce the spread of Omicron as we see it rapidly spreading within the county and elsewhere,” Pipe said.
This policy change comes after the commissioners approved a policy requiring employees to be tested for COVID if they are not fully vaccinated against it.
