Longboat Key updates mask policy at town facilities

Longboat Key has updated its COVID-19 restrictions this week within town facilities.

Masks are voluntary within town facilities as of Tuesday, according to an email Town Manager Tom Harmer sent to the Longboat Key Town Commission.

Harmer said the plan is to return the town’s COVID-19 protocols to the “pre-‘Delta Variant’ guidelines.”

“We will be closely monitoring COVID cases, both on and off the island, to evaluate the need to make adjustments to our COVID plan moving forward,” Harmer wrote. “We will reevaluate these protocols at least every two weeks and take appropriate actions if conditions change.”

Longboat Key staff will no longer screen visitors when they enter a town facility.

The town asks for anyone who is unvaccinated to wear a mask in common areas and when they can’t social distance. Masks are available to town visitors.

Town staff also removed plexiglass barriers from the Town Commission chambers, and updated the signs posted outside of town facilities.

The Longboat Key Public Tennis Center follows the same protocols as other town facilities. Any special events or tournaments will require a safety plan.

Also, indoor use of the recreation facility at Bayfront Park is authorized and is considered on a case-by-case basis after a review of the safety protocols.

The town encourages the public to continue to do business by using technology, phones, email, the town’s website, drop boxes or scheduling a meeting with staff in advance if an in-person meeting is necessary.

All events requiring a public forum permit will continue to require a safety plan reviewed and approved by town staff.

“Fortunately, COVID case numbers have been decreasing in Florida, and in our two-county area; the percent positives have now been at or below 5% for the past two weeks,” Harmer wrote. “Hospitalizations related to COVID have also significantly decreased.”

In mid-August, Longboat Key had established indoor mask rules for town offices and government-run buildings given the increase in COVID-19 cases at the time.

In July, the state provided Longboat Key with data that showed the town’s residents had a vaccination rate near 100%.