News Flash

COVID-19 Response - As you are hopefully aware from our numerous postings on our website and Facebook, and some local newspaper articles, the Town of Ponce Inlet along with the entire State of Florida is taking proactive measures to keep its employees, residents, and the public at large safe from potential exposure to the coronavirus, otherwise known as COVID-19. The town is following guidance from the Governor’s Office and the Federal Centers for Disease Control and using an abundance of caution to minimize potential exposure to employees and residents. Here are steps the Town of Ponce Inlet is taking effectively immediately: All town events for the month of April have been cancelled. All board meetings for April have been cancelled. The town council meeting for April 16th is still currently scheduled but may be cancelled if circumstances warrant. Currently, all town parks are open as we attempt to keep some form of outlet open for public use. A specific emergency directive has been issued as follows: 1) Parties accessing the parks within the Town of Ponce Inlet shall limit their gatherings to no more than ten (10) persons. 2) Persons gathering within a park are strongly encouraged to maintain a distance of at least six (6) feet from all other persons within the park unless the other persons are related, living under the same roof or are otherwise regularly in close contact with one another. 3) Contact sports, including basketball, are prohibited within Town parks; 4) All courts within Pollard Park, and all playgrounds and public restroom facilities within any of the Town’s parks shall be closed until further notice. The open air parks themselves remain available for use but residents should exercise personal responsibility when touching any public amenities (benches, dog waste receptacles, crosswalk flags, etc.; 5) All water fountains at Town facilities shall be bagged to prevent use until further notice. 6) Alternative operating procedures have been implemented for all town service facilities until the threat of COVID-19 subsides. There are notices posted at each building on these specific procedures, which provide for means of obtaining the usual services without entrance to facilities, with the exception of the police department which has a protective glass barrier so they can allow one visitor at a time into their customer service area. Thank you for your understanding as we seek to ensure our employees remain healthy to continue to serve you and that our lobbies do not become hazardous for customers. Volusia County Government is actively engaged in continual meetings and situational updates with state and local officials regarding coronavirus. Volusia County’s Division of Emergency Management is working closely with the Florida Department of Health, the Florida Division of Emergency Management, Volusia County Schools, governmental agencies and partnering counties. To aid in the prevention of spreading coronavirus, it comes down to one’s individual responsibility such as taking everyday preventive actions to help stop the spread of germs. The single most important steps in preventing transmission of coronavirus are washing your hands, avoid touching your face and staying at home when you’re sick. We will continue to monitor developments with COVID-19. The town has linked to the Volusia County COVID19 Informational Page and the Federal Centers for Disease Control on our website for residents to learn how to protect themselves from potential exposure to COVID-19 - https:// www.ponce-inlet.org. We will continue to update our town social media page once new information is available.