Regional public sector employers extend teleworking until 2021

Three counties, six cities and two ports announce decision

July 29, 2020 1:05 pm
Regional public sector employers extend teleworking until 2021

A lot of public employees in the Seattle, Tacoma and Everett areas will continue to be allowed to work from home until 2021.

King, Pierce and Snohomish Counties, the cities of Everett, Kenmore, Redmond, Seattle, Shoreline and Tacoma, and the Port of Seattle and Port of Everett are taking a united approach to slow the spread of COVID-19 and maximize physical distancing by extending teleworking for eligible employees until 2021, according to a July 28 news release from King County Executive Dow Constantine. No other cities were listed in the release.

“We are determined to do all that we can to slow the spread of this virus in our communities and keep our employees and residents as safe as possible,” Constantine said. “We’ve learned a lot about our ability to adapt and respond amid this pandemic, and by taking a regional approach to telework, we can continue to meet the needs of residents, maximize physical distancing for people who need to report to work in person, and further stem the spread of COVID-19.”

Pierce County Executive Bruce Dammeier supports the decision.

“People are counting on us to deliver services safely, and that’s what we are doing in Pierce County,” Dammeier said. “Critical services like housing assistance and food support are just a click or phone call away.”

Here’s what Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers said.

“We know our first mission is to serve the public, and we must do it while keeping our employees safe,” Somers said. “We have radically transformed how we work, keeping countless people from becoming sick or worse. We know that those with school-aged kids have been juggling an enormous workload these past six months. Giving them some predictability should help with planning, while also allowing us to keep county government delivering services to the public.”

Redmond Mayor Angela Birney agreed with the move.

“To do our part to reduce the spread of COVID-19, we will keep City of Redmond facilities closed through the end of 2020 while continuing to provide city services to the community either from a safe social distance or online,” Birney said.