Daily Update for March 18

Message from Helen Robbins-Meyer, Chief Administrative Officer

Our efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19 turned up another significant notch today. Our health experts announced a ban on all gatherings of 10 people or more, starting tomorrow. When possible, they want you to avoid any gatherings at all, other than with family. That’s down from the limit of 50 people that went into effect just last week. These are restrictions with profound effects on our community.

Trying to stop the disease will now also more visibly affect our operations. We are starting to close the majority of our facilities to the public. Some have shut their doors already. More are doing so over the coming days. The buildings are closed, but we are continuing to offer every service we can through a combination of online options, phone, email, paper mail, drop boxes and other methods that avoid in-person contact. We’ve long pushed “online, not in line.” Now it’s not just efficiency or convenience, but a matter of public safety. 

This is the direction I’ve been saying we’re going, and here we go. This is new to all of us. I know the public orders cause great challenges for many of you and your families. Our internal changes will be highly disruptive as well. It’s a lot to handle at once. I’m so impressed at how all of you have been able to keep adapting and keep serving.

That’s the way it’s going to be for at least a little while. Hang in there, and let’s hang together, even if being together now means more conference calls and Skype meetings!