Gig Harbor Civic Center, court reopen to public after COVID-related closure
The Gig Harbor Civic Center and Municipal Court were set to reopen this week following a COVID-related closure.
“With the rise in Omicron cases and exposures and the lack of tests available, the decision was made to close to the public, and extend work from home options to those that can do their jobs remotely,” city spokesperson Laura Pettitt said via email last week, asked about what prompted the closure. “There is a deep cleaning of the Civic Center, Wastewater Treatment Plant and Public Works Shop underway, to err on the side of safety for our employees and visitors to the Civic Center.”
Pettitt said the Civic Center was on track to reopen to the public Feb. 1.
“To our staff members who have tested positive for COVID, keep the faith, and we’ll all get through this together,” Council Member Jeni Woock said at the council’s Jan. 24 meeting. “I’m really sorry, those of you who are affected by this. Take good care of yourselves and your families. You’re important to all of us.”
“We all echo those sentiments, Council Member Woock,” Mayor Tracie Markley added. “Thank you very much for that.”
It wasn’t immediately clear how many Gig Harbor staff members were affected, but the city was not on the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department’s list of outbreaks as of Friday. The agency publicly reports outbreaks in places with 60 or more employees that have 10 or more confirmed cases.
The city posted on its website Jan. 20 that the Civic Center was closing to the public and that city meetings would continue via Zoom in response to concerns about the pandemic.
The Municipal Court posted the next day that it would be closed until Feb. 1 and that civil infraction hearings would be done by phone or video until further notice. The court said criminal hearings would happen remotely but that: “The Court reserves the right to maintain or schedule in-person hearings when video or telephonic methods are not possible.”
Gig Harbor jury trials are suspended until the end of the month.
“The combination of the increase in the spread of COVID-19 and the serious danger posed by COVID-19 are good cause to continue criminal trials,” the court’s order said in part.
The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department confirmed 6,736 cases and 46 new deaths in Pierce County for Jan. 16-22. The county’s 14-day case rate was 3,494 per 100,000 as of Jan. 11 — 14.6 percent higher than the previous two-week period.
A woman in her 60s from Gig Harbor, a woman in her 80s from Gig Harbor and a man in his 70s from the Key Peninsula were among the newly reported deaths.
This story was originally published January 30, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
