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Cook County Announces Changes to August 10 Public Hearing Location and Mask Use Standards in County Facilities

Aug 05, 2021 03:55PM ● By Editor

From Cook County MN - August 5, 2021

New information about the COVID-19 delta variant has prompted a change in venue for the public hearing scheduled for Tuesday, August 10, 8:30 a.m. at the Cook County Courthouse.   The Cook County Board of Commissioners scheduled the hearing to receive public comments on the need for a Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA). Following the call to order, the public hearing will be held outdoors on the east lawn of the Cook County Courthouse. 

The delta variant is significantly more contagious than earlier variants of the virus and can both infect and be transmitted by people who are fully vaccinated. This has led to a recent spike in COVID cases across the county. In Cook County, there have been two cases of COVID-19 in the past two weeks, bringing the total case count to 178 since the pandemic began.

County Administrator James Joerke expressed concern that a large number of people could attend the hearing and said that moving it outdoors would help protect the health of participants.  “We know that many community members have concerns about the housing situation in Cook County, and we want to give everyone a chance to express those concerns and weigh in on the creation of the HRA,” Joerke said. “We are taking this proactive step to ensure that people can participate in a way that does not put the community’s health at risk.”

Tuesday’s County Board meeting will call to order in the Commissioners Room of the Courthouse. The Board will move outdoors for the public hearing portion of the meeting and will reconvene indoors once the hearing closes. 

Effective Monday, August 9, all staff and visitors to the Courthouse and other County buildings will need to wear a mask in the building regardless of vaccination status.

In the event of rain, the public hearing will be held in the Commissioners Room, but attendance will be limited to 10 members of the public at a time.

All County residents are invited to participate in the public hearing. Those who prefer not to attend in person can submit written comments to [email protected]. For questions, please call 218-387-3602.

 

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