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Visitors to County Buildings Must Pass COVID-19 Symptoms Screening

Commissioners

November 20, 2020

COVID-19 symptoms poster listing emergency contacts, instructions, and resources. Includes 'Feel Sick?' section with 'Yes' and 'No' guidelines.

Due to the increase in positive cases of COVID-19, Franklin County is taking measures to increase safety for employees and residents. To continue serving the public while mitigating risks associated with the COVID-19 virus, county facilities will remain open to walk-in visitors with the following modification:

​Effective immediately, public visitors must complete, and pass, a COVID-19 symptoms screening as well as a temperature check in addition to the routine security screening in order to gain access into County facilities staffed by the Sheriff’s Office.

A mandatory COVID-19 screening will be administered through a health questionnaire and temperature check. If a visitor answers yes to a screening question or has a temperature of 100.4 degrees or higher, they will be denied entry and given instructions on how to contact the office or department they require. The use of face masks is mandatory in all facilities, regardless of social distancing.

Visitors to the Administration Annex, Human Services Building, the Historic Courthouse, Courthouse Annex and Hearing Masters can expect to answer the following questions:

  • Have you experienced any of the following symptoms in the past 48 hours: fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea?
  • Within the past 14 days, have you been in close physical contact (6 feet or closer for at least 15 minutes) with a person who is known to have laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 or with anyone who has any symptoms consistent with COVID-19?
  • Are you isolating or quarantining because you may have been exposed to a person with COVID-19 or are worried that you may be sick with COVID-19?
  • Are you currently waiting on the results of a COVID-19 test?
  • Have you traveled outside the United States or have you traveled by commercial airline, bus or train within the last 14 days?

Visitors declining to answer verbally will be given the option to complete the questionnaire on paper.

Should a visitor answer no to all COVID-19 symptoms screening questions, a temperature check will be administered. Visitors with temperatures below 100.4 degrees will be given access to the facility.

We would like to remind visitors to perform a symptoms self-check prior to arriving at a county facility. Additionally, calling ahead to a department or office will ensure that one’s business needs will be met in the best way possible during this time.