Dear All,
Members of the public ages 2 and older will be required to wear face coverings over the nose and mouth while inside Pueblo City-County Libraries beginning on Wednesday, September 1, 2021. All library employees should continue to wear masks, too, in accordance with an announcement issued a few days ago on Friday, August 27 (https://portal.pueblolibrary.org/announcement/covid-19-update-august-27-2021).
The new masking rule for the general public inside local libraries is being put into effect in order to help address the high number of positive COVID-19 cases now in Pueblo County and to assist in maintaining safe and healthy library environments. The Pueblo City-County Library is joined in requiring masks by other local public institutions including, but not limited to, the City of Pueblo, schools and daycare, the Pueblo Department of Public Health & Environment, CSU-Pueblo and Pueblo Community College. This effort aligns with current guidance for universal mask wearing in indoor public places where there is substantial or high COVID-19 transmission regardless of vaccination status as recommended by the Pueblo Department of Public Health and Environment, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, and the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). PCCLD’s masking practices generally will align with guidance provided by the CDC that is found here: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/about-face-coverings.html
PCCLD will make courtesy masks available to the public at all libraries and we will be adding security staff for a while at the entrances of libraries to help with this. It also is important to note the masking requirement must be applied in a manner consistent with the Americans with Disabilities Act and related laws. This means library staff should be prepared to offer accommodations when a member of the general public does not wear a mask. Accommodations can include, but are not limited to, curbside book delivery and laptop/hotspot checkout.
The masking requirement will remain in place until rescinded or modified.
Thank you for helping put this new practice into place. Your supervisor can help answer questions.
Watch this 8-minute video from Kayci Barnett for more information: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vswEh035vf9B-YURyjoxkkfv2N1NVYDe/view
Jon
Jon Walker
Executive Director
