BUCYRUS —An outbreak of COVID-19 at Bucyrus City Hall has prompted Mayor Jeff Reser to double-down on his efforts to keep employees and others safe at the city’s administration building.
Last week, Reser declared a state of emergency in the city due to rapidly increasing numbers of the potentially deadly virus that has long-lasting effects in some individuals. Council President Kurt Fankhauser pushed back publicly against the state of emergency and refuses to change meetings from in-person to an online alternative.
In a letter to elected officials, mainly Bucyrus City Council members, in an effort to convince the few that do not support wearing masks or meeting online versus in-person, he wrote the following email on Monday morning:
Elected officials,
We have an outbreak of COVID-19 among city hall workers and we have doubled down on our efforts to slow the spread of the disease which is widespread in our community. We have established new protocols at city hall to keep us distanced and as safe as possible. COVID-19 is real and serious, just ask someone who has had a difficult case and was hospitalized. Not being able to breathe properly is frightening. And there are many longer-term side effects for some of those who acquire the virus.
Our hospital is strained as cases have exploded. Having a “Go To Meeting” makes sense because we have already set precedent and we should be concerned about the health of our fellow elected officials as well as citizens who may attend meetings as we deal with a COVID -19 outbreak at City Hall. Do you want to be responsible for possibly spreading the disease among your colleagues and our community?
I ask that you respect the Emergency Declaration and put aside any of your personal feelings for the greater good and safety of our community.
Jeff Reser