Mayor Allen Scott would like to issue the following statement regarding the recent decisions by the Arkansas Department of Education and Arkansas Department of Health in closing Bryant School District and surrounding Saline County Schools.
“With the recent presumptive positive in Saline County, we would be remiss to not follow the recommendations placed before our schools by leading health authorities to prevent the spread of the virus here in our community. At this time, the city is making a very difficult decision to cancel, or suspend, any organized group activities such as sports tournaments, competitions, and other related events located within our Bryant Parks Systems.
The Center at Bishop Park and the Bryant Aquatic Center will also remain closed, effective tomorrow through the tentative date of March 30th.
All other city services and buildings will remain open at this time. While our employees are here to serve the citizens of Bryant we are asking that you take into consideration their health, as well as the health of their families. If you are sick, have traveled into affected areas, or may have been exposed to COVID-19 or any respiratory illness, please stay home. There is very little city business that cannot be conducted via telephone or online and none that is worth risking the health of our city employees.
Internally, preemptive measures were put into place over the past several weeks within city departments in regards to the coronavirus, as well as strategies within each department to implement if needed to adequately prepare for this possibly occurring in Bryant. City staff is continuously monitoring communications with local, State, and Federal authorities to stay current on the latest information.
In addition to this statement the city encourages you to follow the standard protocols which will decrease the spread of any respiratory illness:
- Clean your hands often with soap or use hand sanitizer with a 60% alcohol base if soap and water are not available.
- Avoid sharing personal or household items
- Clean high touch areas daily
- Cover your coughs and sneezes.
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick
- And again, if you are sick, stay home.
If you have traveled from a COVID-19 affected area, please call the office of your medical provider for instructions and guidance on any possible restrictions or what symptoms to watch for.
For additional recommendations, the CDC has an easy reference link that can assist https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/index.html. We also encourage our residents to sign up for city notifications via NOTIFY ME through our website. This is the quickest way to receive direct communications from the city departments.
