Friday, April

CITY ESTABLISHES OFFICE OF NEIGHBORHOOD SAFETY AND ENGAGEMENT, HIRES DIRECTOR

The City of Savannah has established the Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement (ONSE), dedicated to implementing crime reduction strategies and increasing neighborhood safety through a collaborative community approach, and is pleased to announce John M. Bush, Jr. as the first neighborhood safety and engagement director.

Bush brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in community engagement to the role and will provide leadership and daily management of the department, assist with developing and implementing communitywide crime reduction goals, and work directly with law enforcement, concerned citizens and partner organizations to identify and connect individuals in need to support services.

Bush will begin his role with the City of Savannah on Tuesday, Jan. 18.

The Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement will focus on:

Identifying and engaging individuals at the highest risk of participating in or being a victim of violent crime,

Connecting them to comprehensive support services, and

Providing an “off-ramp” for individuals to pursue positive growth and development opportunities.

Once fully staffed, the ONSE team will work with the community to develop and sustain a citywide network of violence prevention and intervention services and track the community’s progress toward reducing crime and increasing neighborhood safety.

The Savannah City Council approved $1 million in 2022 funding to support the city’s neighborhood safety and engagement initiative.

These funds will provide community grants to organizations to support credible messengers, violence interrupters, conflict management, out-of-school activities, youth sports, counseling and mentoring activities that engage the most vulnerable youth in alternatives to violence and crime.

More information about the ONSE Community Grants program will be available this spring.

ENMARKET ARENA UPDATES COVID-19 POLICIES

The Enmarket Arena staff have updated COVID-19 policies in accordance with local and national guidelines. There are a few key changes being implemented.

Per the City of Savannah’s COVID-19 mandate, Enmarket Arena, will require that all guests attending gatherings or events must show either a negative COVID-19 test (PCR or Rapid) taken within 72 hours of the event date OR proof of full vaccination*.

Guests can provide proof of full vaccination one of the following ways:

1. Using the Bindle app - Learn more about Bindle here (Choose Enmarket Arena or Savannah Civic Center) 2. Their physical vaccination card along with a photo ID that matches the name on the presented card 3. A front and back photo of vaccination card, along with a photo ID that matches the name on the presented card

*Individuals are considered fully vaccinated if it’s been 2 weeks after their second dose in a 2-dose series, such as the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or 2 weeks after a single-dose vaccine, such as Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine. If you don’t meet these requirements, you are not fully vaccinated.

Limited testing will also be available on-site day of the event starting 1.5 hours before show time.

Pre-Register at: Lab-fast.com using site code: RAPID

NOTE: At home tests WILL NOT be accepted as proof of a negative test, as we can not verify the ticketholder was the individual to take the test.

For all events, regardless of capacity, the mandate also requires that all guests must wear a mask while in the facility, unless actively eating or drinking.

For those needing a test, officials remind that COVID-19 testing is available at the Savannah Civic Center Mon - Fri., 7:30 – 2:30 or until capacity is reached and 1st and 3rd Saturday, 8:30 – 11:30.

Testing is also available at Savannah RX at 1000A Eisenhower Dr. Savannah, GA.

Requirements For Children:

Children age 5 to 12 years old will need to provide proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test

Children age 2 and older are required to wear a mask while in the facility.

CHATHAM CO. HEALTH DEPT. SHIFTS TO ESSENTIAL SERVICES ONLY

As of January 11, the Chatham County Health Department has shifted operations to cope with staffing shortages due to COVID-19 cases and exposures.

For the time being, the Midtown Clinic at 1602 Drayton Street will be closed for routine public health services. Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and PREP services will still be offered at the Midtown clinic by appointment only.

The main clinic at 1395 Eisenhower Drive will offer essential services only. Individuals with existing appointments may be contacted to reschedule.

This change does not affect Environmental Health services or Vital Records, nor does it impact operations at the Chatham County Health Department’s COVID testing sites or COVID-19 vaccination sites. Dr. Chris Rustin, the administrator of the Chatham County Health Department, said normal opera-tions will resume as soon as staffing levels improve.

For more information, visit coastalhealthdis-trict.org/chatham.