Tuesday, April 16, 2024

EL city offices to remain closed due to COVID-19

December 10, 2020
<p>Side of the 54B District Court from Park Lane. Shot on Sept. 10, 2020.</p>

Side of the 54B District Court from Park Lane. Shot on Sept. 10, 2020.

Photo by Lauren DeMay | The State News

Due to the continuous spread of COVID-19, the city of East Lansing’s offices will remain closed beyond Tuesday, Dec. 8, in the interest of community and employee safety, according to a release Tuesday.

The majority of offices will remain closed for in-person interactions until further notice. Offices are expected to reopen in mid-January at the earliest. 

These offices include: East Lansing City Hall, the East Lansing Department of Public Works (DPW), East Lansing Prime Time, the East Lansing Public Library (ELPL) and the East Lansing 54B District Court.

The DPW 24/7 recycling drop-off site will also remain closed, but is expected to reopen after the holidays. 

“We are trying to minimize the impact on our residents, while keeping the operations as normal as possible,” City Manager George Lahanas said. “Even when we’re working remotely, about 60% of our employees are working normally.” 

This 60% includes all essential services (police, fire, EMS, curbside trash/recycling services, water services, wastewater management and court services) will continue to remain available, and non-essential staff will remain available for non-essential services. 

“We are also trying to protect our public safety services which are critical," Lahanas said. "By keeping the building closed and having less exposure and less traffic in our buildings less exposure to our other employees, hopefully we are also being protective of our police and fire, who simply need to be working." 

The East Lansing Police Department’s 24/7 police desk, 409 Park Lane, will continue to remain staffed and open to the public during the office closures. The East Lansing Hannah Community Center (ELHCC) will also remain open for limited hours, offering its Remote Learning Camp in addition to fitness center and pool visits by reservation. Additional ELHCC details are available in the city’s Continuity of Operations Plan.

Although ELPL will continue to remain closed for in-person transactions, curbside pick-up services, materials by mail and the 24/7 outside lockers for hold pickups are still available. Learn more about these services at www.elpl.org.

Administrative and emergency management staff are continuing to actively monitor the status of COVID-19 cases in the local area as well as the latest public health directives. They will continue to make decisions and communicate effectively in the coming weeks. 

For a list of city phone numbers, online payment options and additional departmental service information, members are encouraged to visit www.cityofeastlansing.com/coronavirus. The departmental service information is available in the Continuity of Operations Plan. 

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