Both branches will remain closed through October 20 for deep cleaning, and both are tentatively planned to reopen to the public on Wednesday, October 21.
The employee and any fellow staff with whom they had close contact (defined as within six feet for ten or more minutes) are under a 10-day quarantine. Patrons who visited the East Washington or Southport Branch Library on or around October 17-19 are encouraged to self-monitor for any symptoms.
All Indianapolis Public Libraries have had a face mask requirement in place since reopening in June. Other precautions include capacity limits at libraries, one-hour time limits for patrons when necessitated by building capacity limits, accessible hand sanitizer, regular surface cleaning, and 96 hour quarantining of returned books and other library materials.
“Library administration hopes to utilize staff from other locations to continue to serve the East Washington and Southport patrons immediately after a deep clean,” said Jackie Nytes, Library CEO. “Nimble scheduling for an issue like this is a necessity, as we understand that The Library is essential for residents who need access to information, materials, wi-fi, and computers – and we aim to fulfill our mission of providing access to these services as safely as possible.”
Visit The Indianapolis Public Library's website or follow The Indianapolis Public Library on social media for the latest on this situation, and for any future incidents of potential COVID-19 exposure at libraries.
The employee and any fellow staff with whom they had close contact (defined as within six feet for ten or more minutes) are under a 10-day quarantine. Patrons who visited the East Washington or Southport Branch Library on or around October 17-19 are encouraged to self-monitor for any symptoms.
ALERT: The East Washington Branch and Southport Branch are both temporarily closed due to a staff member being exposed to COVID-19. For more information, please visit https://t.co/XZXWvEAihp
— Indianapolis Public Library (@indylibrary) October 20, 2020
All Indianapolis Public Libraries have had a face mask requirement in place since reopening in June. Other precautions include capacity limits at libraries, one-hour time limits for patrons when necessitated by building capacity limits, accessible hand sanitizer, regular surface cleaning, and 96 hour quarantining of returned books and other library materials.
“Library administration hopes to utilize staff from other locations to continue to serve the East Washington and Southport patrons immediately after a deep clean,” said Jackie Nytes, Library CEO. “Nimble scheduling for an issue like this is a necessity, as we understand that The Library is essential for residents who need access to information, materials, wi-fi, and computers – and we aim to fulfill our mission of providing access to these services as safely as possible.”
Visit The Indianapolis Public Library's website or follow The Indianapolis Public Library on social media for the latest on this situation, and for any future incidents of potential COVID-19 exposure at libraries.
SOURCE: Indianapolis Public Library