FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 11, 2020 

City of Kingston Buildings to Re-Open to Public in Limited Capacity 

KINGSTON, NY – Mayor Steven T. Noble is pleased to announce that City Hall and other City of Kingston administrative buildings will offer more face-to-face services, in a limited capacity, starting Monday, June 22. 

Since the City of Kingston declared a State of Emergency on March 13, buildings have been restricted to the public with a number of employees working remotely, as per New York State mandates. As the Mid-Hudson region enters into Phase 2, City of Kingston staff has been preparing to re-open by following rigorous guidelines from State and County Health Departments to help combat the spread of COVID-19. Many precautions have been taken to protect the safety of the public and City staff, including installing physical barriers such as plexiglass windows in offices, installing hand sanitizers throughout the buildings, posting instructive signage, and requiring mandatory employee self-screenings, among other measures. The City of Kingston’s complete re-opening plan can be found here. 

Starting on June 22, City Hall and other municipal buildings will be open to the public Monday to Friday between the hours of 10:00am and 2:00pm and will require visitors to check-in with a mandatory health screening. Any visitor to the Department of Public Works, the Department of Parks and Recreation, or the Department of Building and Safety must first visit City Hall for a health screening and check-in. An administrator at City Hall will check visitors’ temperature with a contactless thermometer, will ask a series of health screening questions, and will record which offices are being visited. The check-in station will be located inside the ADA accessible entrance of City Hall, adjacent to the Broadway Campus of Health Alliance. This is the recommendation of the Health Department and the information would only be used to aid in contact tracing of COVID-19 cases. Visitors will not be permitted in City buildings outside of these designated hours unless by appointment and all visitors must wear a mask. 

“We are looking forward to opening our doors again to serve our community face to face,” said Mayor Noble. “We have taken all of the necessary steps to do so in the smartest and most effective way, keeping both employees and our public safe and healthy. We look forward to seeing you all soon!”