LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Tuesday, afternoon Mayor Greg Fischer announced a series of changes to city operations and facilities to protect public health, as well as the safety of Louisville Metro Government employees, in response to the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak.
MetroSafe is screening all calls for COVID-19 to give first responders as much information as possible about whether a person may have or be at risk for having the virus.
Effective immediately, all first responders with the Louisville Metro Police Department, Louisville Fire Department, Metro Emergency Services and Metro Corrections will be screened for symptoms of COVID-19 upon reporting to work. The employee’s temperature will be taken, and their general health will be assessed by medical professionals.
Non-first responders of those departments shall be encouraged to self-monitor their health and to act accordingly, as per Personnel Policy 1.5 Standards of Ethical Conduct: “Employees shall follow and promote general standards of safety and health on the job.”
Metro Government has hired a contractor to sanitize LMPD vehicles, Emergency Medical Service ambulances, and other vehicles used by first responders.
Metro Government buildings will also be disinfected, using a sanitizing process that will last for seven days. The MetroSafe building downtown, which is where Metro 911 and the Emergency Operations Center are located, is the first building disinfected.
All Metro government employees are teleworking when possible, and some buildings are being closed to the public -- but services will be available via phone and the Internet. Go to Louisville Gov to find contact information for the various Metro agencies and departments.
Other changes
LMPD
- Conducting rolling roll calls: Rather than have officers gather together at the start of each shift at their division headquarters, commanders will request them to call off via radio from wherever they are in the division.
- Providing security and traffic control support for Metro-run food distribution sites as they go operational today (Tuesday).
- Limiting public access to police facilities – including the main headquarters, division headquarters buildings, the property room, the LMPD Service Center and the tow lot.
- In order to cut down on risk of face-to-face exposure, LMPD is increasing the capacity of its telephone reporting unit. More calls for service will be sent to that unit for situations where a report can be taken by phone instead of dispatching an officer.
- Using state forms for reporting on non-injury accidents, as is done during bad weather.
- Suspended all training except for LMPD recruits who are currently in the Academy. Academy training continues with precautions in place to allow for social distancing.
Louisville Fire Department
LFD will limit patient contact on non-traumatic incidents and patients not in immediate distress.
- Crews will consider reducing the number of personnel making direct patient contact.
- Crews will keep further distance during patient assessment to limit exposure.
- Post patient care: Crews will continue to frequently disinfect apparatus and equipment.
LFD has suspended:
- Home Safety Checks, with the exception of 311 MetroCall requests.
- Community Involvement Programs and public access to fire facilities.
- Community Action Programs.
- Target Hazard Surveys conducted by fire suppression companies.
- Routine Building Inspections conducted by the LFD Fire Prevention Bureau.
- Note: Buildings that pose eminent life hazards such as an overcrowding situation or structural instability will continue to be inspected, and codes will continue to be enforced.
Metro EMS
- Performing call-ahead notifications to hospital facilities if transporting a patient who may fit the parameters of suspected COVID-19, which allows for special intake procedures at the facility to reduce the spread of the virus.
- Ambulances are being decontaminated multiple times each shift, with a deep decontamination after any suspected contact with COVID-19 and at the conclusion of each shift
- In-person training and unnecessary gatherings are suspended.
- EMS employees are encouraged to notify command staff if they or a family member is sick, and to not report to work if so.
TARC
- TARC established a COVID-19 Task Force on March 6th that meets daily and is responsible for providing a rapid, controlled, and effective response to COVID-19.
- All TARC vehicles, including fixed-route buses and TARC3 vehicles, are being cleaned and sanitized daily in accordance with guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control. TARC is exceeding the guidelines of most transit agencies concerning COVID-19 sanitization techniques.
- The TARC Safety & Security Department has been taking additional steps in response to COVID-19, providing kits to drivers that include gloves, sanitizer, and disinfectant wipes.
- In addition to local officials, TARC is in regular communication with the Federal Transit Administration and the American Public Transportation Association.
Metro Parks & Recreation
- The city’s 120 parks, including its 18 Olmsted-designed parks and the 6,700-acre Jefferson Memorial Forest, will remain open with no restrictions on access. Jefferson Memorial Forest’s Welcome Center also will be open to the public. Parks employees are increasing cleaning protocols and implementing social distancing.
- The city’s 13 community centers are temporarily closed to the public through April 5.
- The Wilderness Louisville Senior Center is closed.
- The city’s 10 municipal golf courses will remain open. Contact the course to make a tee time.
- Metro Parks will not be accepting rentals of facilities and shelters through April 5. All rentals through April 5 were canceled by the close of business Friday, March 13. Those with rental agreements through Louisville Parks and Recreation will have the option of a refund or a rescheduled date.
Metro Corrections
Inmate visitation has been suspended at the Louisville Jail for at least three weeks. The decision was made based on a recommendation from Gov. Beshear.
Louisville Zoo
The Zoo is temporarily closed. While there have been no known cases of exposure to COVID-19 at the Zoo, the decision to close was made to further support efforts to reduce the rapid spread of the virus and to protect the health and wellbeing of Zoo staff and the community. The animal care team and other essential personnel will remain active at the Zoo; however, staff who are able to work from home will be encouraged to do so.
Louisville Free Public Library
The Main Library and branches are closed. Library staff is teleworking when possible. Fines for overdue books and other material are temporarily suspended. Patrons should not try to return borrowed materials. LFPL offers access to eBooks, eMagazines, downloadable audiobooks, and streaming movies online.
Metro Codes & Regulations
- Property maintenance enforcement will be focused on exterior inspections, but interior inspections will be conducted if necessary to address health and safety concerns such as electrical, plumbing, and sewage hazards. Violations will still be issued if warranted.
- Codes & Regulations is working with property owners who may need additional time to correct non-hazardous conditions.
- Permit applications must be placed in a drop box at 444 S. Fourth St. to minimize face-to-face contact.
- Construction review staff will prioritize inspections.
- Section 8 inspections will be limited to reinspection of pass/fails.
- Vacant lot crews will stagger shifts and only perform prioritized work orders.
- ABC inspections are delayed until a further date.
Metro Office of Resilience & Community Services
Neighborhood Place
- The seven Neighborhood Place locations will close to walk-in traffic starting on Wednesday.
- For information on financial assistance, call (502) 363-1424
- For WIC assistance, call (502) 574-7975.
- If you need to apply for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), call (502) 991-8391. Click here for info.
- If you need to drop off LIHEAP paperwork, please leave your documents in the red box at the Neighborhood Place door.
- For information on Food Stamps, Medicaid, K-TAP, and Child Care, please call (855) 306-8959.
Metro Public Health & Wellness WIC Offices
- Closed to walk-in traffic.
- For assistance with WIC, call (502) 574-7975.
Metro Animal Services
- Animal Control officers will only respond to the most serious incidents involving a human and domestic animal in progress, or to assist first responders.
- The LMAS Shelter at 3528 Newburg Road will be open only for adoptions, citizens looking for a lost pet, fosters, and stray pet surrenders.
- Go to gov/government/animal-services for more info. You can also direct questions to animals@louisvilleky.gov.
KentuckianaWorks
- The comprehensive Kentucky Career Center at Sixth and Cedar will be closing today at 5 p.m. All other Career Centers are closed.
- Both Kentucky Youth Career Centers (Fourth Street and the Nia Center) and Reimage are closed, but staff members are still providing virtual career services and guidance. Please check out the KYCC and Reimage Facebook pages or call (502) 574-4115.
- KentuckianaWorks staffers are teleworking and can be reached at (502) 574-2500 or by completing the contact form.
- Those seeking unemployment should visit here.
Metro Revenue Commission
- Suspending face-to-face customer service.
- You are advised to use the E-MINTs online portal to file taxes, request an extension, request an employee refund, make a payment, request a payment plan, view account info and correspondence, or send a message. Go to metrorevenue.org to learn more.
- Call (502) 574-4860 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. to connect with the taxpayer services, legal, audit, and compliance divisions for any assistance you may need.
Air Pollution Control District
- The Louisville Air Monitoring Network continues normal operations and is being maintained. Air monitoring data is available in real time at the Louisville Air Watch website.
- Odor, dust, and smoke complaints are still being taken and investigated, though direct person-to-person contact is being avoided.
- If you need to speak to someone at the APCD, please call first at (502) 574-6000. The person you need to see may not be working in the office that day, and you may be able to resolve your issue without coming to the office.
Other stories on WHAS11.com
Download the WHAS11 News app now for the latest information and updates.