HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report 14116
City of Palo Alto (ID # 14116)
City Council Staff Report
Meeting Date: 3/7/2022 Report Type: Consent Calendar
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Title: Discontinuation of Vaccination/Testing Checks at City Meetings
From: City Manager
Lead Department: City Manager
Recommendation
Staff recommends that Council approve discontinuation of vaccination and testing
checks at City meetings.
Background
At its September 27, 2021 meeting, the City Council approved the following actions
related to virtual, in-person, and hybrid council and board and commission meetings:
A. Begin hybrid City Council meetings on November 1, 2021, and not requiring
Standing Committees, Ad-Hoc Committees, Boards and Commissions to
physically convene until January 2022;
B. Require the public, Staff and City Council Members to provide proof of
vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test within 48 hours prior to the meeting;
C. Provide an option for City Council to attend in-person or virtually as long as the
Santa Clara County maintains mandatory indoor masking for public meetings;
D. Upon the end of mandatory indoor masking, modify the City Council protocols to
increase City Council’s teleconference participation to 5 meetings per year;
E. Request Staff to allow virtual attendees to participate by video, barring technical
barriers in doing so; and
F. Upon relevant changes in Santa Clara County’s or the CDC’s guidelines, for City
Council to revisit the guidelines, consider a default standard for in-person
meetings if provided by the Santa Clara County, and discuss other in-person
meeting requirements.
The City Council subsequently postponed the resumption of in-person and hybrid
committee and board/commission meetings until March 1, 2022.
On March 1, 2022, the County of Santa Clara Public Health Department announced that
all masking metrics have been met and therefore indoor masking will no longer be
required beginning March 2. However, the Public Health Department and the California
Department of Public Health strongly recommend that the public continue to wear
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masks in all indoor public spaces. These requirements apply regardless of vaccination
status.
Discussion
Based on part B of the City Council’s prior direction, staff is now implementing
vaccination and/or testing status checks for members of the public attending city
meetings. Now that indoor masking requirements applicable to city meetings have
been removed irrespective of vaccination status, this raises the question of whether
proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test within 48 hours should discontinued
as a requirement for attending a city meeting in-person.
Resource Impact and Timeline
Implementing vaccination/testing checks requires 1-2 staff members dedicated to this
task for the duration of each meeting. Discontinuation could occur immediately upon
City Council approval.