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The Freeborn County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday approved a plan to reopen county buildings to the public under limited hours starting Monday.

The plan was established under guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Minnesota Department of Health and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

The plan states it “has a strong commitment of management and was developed and implemented with the participation of employees.”

County buildings will be open initially from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. by appointment only, said Freeborn County Administrator Tom Jensen. People can make appointments by phone or online and will be escorted in and out of the building.

Employees and visitors will be required to complete a temperature screening and will be asked questions regarding COVID-19 symptoms. People will also be required to wear face masks.

Employees and visitors are also encouraged to self-monitor for signs and symptoms and are asked to follow infection prevention practices such as frequent and thorough hand washing, covering coughing and sneezing, and social distancing, among others.

The plan states frequent cleaning and disinfecting will be conducted in high-touch areas, such as phones, door handles and elevator panels, and it identifies the procedures in place to disinfect the workplace area utilized by an employee diagnosed with COVID-19.

In addition to the plan to reopen the buildings, the commissioners also voted to approve a security policy for the courthouse. All members of the public must enter the building through the north entrance and will go through security screening.

Employees will be issued a government center building access card, which will be used to limit access of employees to areas required for the performance of their duties.

In other action, the board:

• Reappointed Gary Pestorious and Brad Kramer to the Shell Rock River Watershed District Board of Managers.

• Accepted the 2020 state of Minnesota annual County Boat and Water Safety grant agreement for $4,743.

• Accepted the resignation of Lori Miller, license center specialist, effective June 12.