Buildings shut due to COVID to remain closed

Tuolumne County government buildings and facilities that remain closed this week due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic include community halls in Groveland, Jamestown and Pinecrest, as well as Tuolumne Memorial Hall and the Tuolumne County Library meeting room in Sonora, county administrators said Wednesday.

The community halls have been closed since the COVID-19 pandemic began, Eric Erhardt, assistant county administrator, said in an announcement. They are remaining closed at this time due to the recent wave of cases.

Youth centers in Tuolumne, Jamestown and Groveland are open with precautionary measures in place, Erhardt said.

Precautionary measures at the youth centers include the requirement of everyone who enters any county building or other facility to wear a face covering, regardless of vaccination status, Liz Peterson, a county senior administrative analyst, said Wednesday.

The county public health officer, Dr. Eric Sergienko, announced that face coverings are required in all county buildings regardless of vaccination status on July 30. The measure is supported by the state Department of Public Health and Gov. Gavin Newsom.

The update on closures of county buildings, meeting rooms and other facilities, as well as the face coverings reminder for buildings that remain open, came this week in response to increasing COVID-19 case numbers in Tuolumne County.

Sergienko has also recommended that gatherings be postponed, especially any with 50 or more people.

County government will continue to monitor COVID-19 case rates and will reopen meeting

rooms for public reservations when COVID-19 transmission rates begin to decline, the announcement stated.