By Jason Klaiber

While many people have voluntarily taken to social distancing, local governments and school districts have enacted measures to avoid the spread of coronavirus.

On March 14, Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon issued a proclamation of emergency within the territorial limits of the county set to last until April 13 unless extended further.

McMahon also made three local orders to assist with safeguarding efforts.

The first order called for a temporary suspension or modification of restrictions regarding the use of Onondaga County purchase cards “in order to authorize the use of such cards to the maximum extent necessary to allow the purchase of necessary goods, commodities, services, technology, equipment, materials, supplies, or services, without standard procurement processes.”

Purchase card limits were increased to $100,000 for the Director of Purchase, the Director of Emergency Management and the Office of the Onondaga County Executive. All other purchase card limits were increased by the order to $10,000.

The second order called for a halt to all extracurricular school activities for Onondaga County’s public and private schools, including but not limited to field trips, sports practices and club meetings.

McMahon also ordered all public and private schools within Onondaga County to be closed starting at 4 p.m. on Friday, March 20 through to the end of the day on April 13.

With renewals continuing past the initial five days allowed for local emergency orders, the closure of area schools and the suspension of extracurricular activities will remain in effect through Monday, April 13.

Exercising extra precaution, Fayetteville-Manlius’ school board and Superintendent Dr. Craig Tice decided to close the district’s schools, cancel all extracurricular activities and call off school-related events from March 16 through April 14.

“This is not a decision taken lightly, as we recognize this action will impact many families’ regular routines, including child care and parents’ and guardians’ work schedules,” Tice said. “Our priority is the health and safety of our students, staff and community.”

Tice said he appreciates the “patience and flexibility” of those affected during during what he called an “unprecedented time.”

Families whose children receive school meals through the free and reduced-price meals program will be contacted directly regarding the continuity of that program, according to the school’s press release.

The district will continue to update the community via the district website with any new information and frequently asked questions.

The district’s online learning management tool, Schoology, can be used for “office hours” interactions and constructive feedback from instructors.

Any time-sensitive, critical updates—including any information on confirmed COVID-19 cases in the district—will be shared via F-M’s SchoolMessenger notification system, which sends email, text message and phone call notifications, depending upon how parents subscribed to the system.

The F-M district had also cancelled its high school’s performances of the musical “Les Miserables” planned for March 12 through March 14.

The cancelled Fayetteville Elementary School open house event originally planned for the evening of March 12 will be rescheduled to a later date.

The municipal buildings in the villages of Fayetteville, Manlius and Minoa will have limited access to all visitors for the time being.

Residents are asked to make appointments to meet with the village or town clerks for any and all “normal, day-to-day” business.

The fire stations and DPW garages will also be closed throughout the town to public access until noted otherwise.

The Fayetteville Senior Center and the Manlius Senior Activity Centre will remain closed until March 31.

In addition to working on continuity plans to persist in serving the public, the village boards and the Town of Manlius have initiated pandemic preparedness procedures for the municipalities’ officials.

The mayors along with the town supervisor are together coordinating plans for an inter-municipal agreement to cover working together in all aspects of the duties and functions of the village and town governments.