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COVID Safety Policies and Procedures

PROOF OF COVID VACCINATION – All personnel must provide proof of vaccination status.

Proof of vaccination status for new employees can be emailed to City Growers for internal record-keeping at employment@citygrowers.org.

All participating teachers and chaperones must be vaccinated and may be required to show proof of vaccination status prior to attending a workshop or other City Growers’ programs.

HAND WASHING – Wash your hands often. Wash for at least 20 seconds, with soap and warm water. Alcohol-based hand sanitizer can be used when hand washing is not possible. Wash when you first arrive at your worksite and after you have been in public or shared spaces. Wash your hands after you sneeze, blow your nose, cough, touch your face, use the bathroom, eat, take a break, etc. 

SELF ASSESSMENT AND PRE-SCREENING – Assess yourself for any signs of COVID-19 symptoms daily, before all scheduled work. Self assessments should include: (1) symptom check, including temperature check as needed, and (2) environment check:

  1. Symptom Check. Do not come to work if you are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, or have a fever of 100.4 degrees or higher. Notify your supervisor immediately.The CDC has identified the following (updated) list of symptoms: Primary Symptoms – Cough, Shortness of Breath; Or at least 2 of these Symptoms – Fever, Chills, Repeated Shaking with Chills, Muscle Pain, Headache, Sore Throat, New Loss of Taste or Smell. 
  2. Environment Check. If anyone you are in close contact with, share a home with, or have been exposed to in the past 2 weeks is experiencing COVID-19 symptoms or has a fever of 100.4 degrees or higher, notify your supervisor immediately. 

GO HOME IF SICK/SYMPTOMATIC – If you are experiencing the above symptoms or otherwise start to feel unwell at work, notify your supervisors and go home immediately.

MASKING – Masking is optional, although City Growers requests that all staff members, program participants, and visitors mask while indoors, especially in shared common areas (i.e. elevators, stairwells, hallways, and restrooms).

SURFACE AND MATERIALS CLEANING – Frequently touched surfaces should be wiped down often, and shared equipment and teaching materials should be sanitized following use. 

ELEVATORS AND OTHER SHARED INDOOR SPACES – Masking is recommended in all indoor spaces, although not required.

COMPLYING WITH REGULATIONS – Employees comply with vaccination, testing, and all other rules and regulations in place in NYC and NY State. 

RESTOCKING PPE SUPPLIES – All City Growers staff members should be aware of all onsite COVID PPE supplies and should let a Program Manager or the Executive Director know when PPE supplies need to be restocked. PPE supplies include: 

  • disposable masks (surgical, KN95, and clear masks)
  • nitrile gloves
  • hand sanitizer
  • disinfecting wipes
  • digital thermometers

PROGRAM DELIVERY – All City Growers programs will be conducted outdoors, whenever possible. Workshops will have a maximum limit of 34 participants total, including adults and chaperones. All staff, visitors, and participants are instructed to self-monitor possible COVID symptoms, and stay home when feeling ill or if someone in your group has recently tested positive for COVID-19. All staff, visitors, and participants are instructed to cough or sneeze into tissue, elbow, or mask.

VACCINATION STATUS TRACKING SYSTEM – City Growers tracks vaccination status of personnel internally. Any questions regarding proof of vaccination status for City Growers personnel should be directed to the Executive Director by email at becca@citygrowers.org or by calling Becca Di Meo at 917-426-4002.

City Growers may be required to provide proof of vaccination for all personnel upon the request of various New York City agencies including: NYC Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD), NYC Department of Education (DOE), NYC Parks and Recreation, and the Mayor’s Office of Contracting Services. City Growers staff members may be asked to upload proof of vaccination status to a DOE system at a later date.

CONTACT TRACING – City Growers’ Executive Director will serve as the Site Safety Monitor for all City Growers programs. The Site Safety Monitor will report all cases of COVID-19 or COVID-like symptoms that occur in our programs to the DOE SITUATION ROOM, and will inform the leadership of the partnering school or nonprofit when a COVID case is reported.

When a participant or staff member calls out sick due to COVID-like symptoms, begins exhibiting COVID-like symptoms while at work, or reports that they have tested positive for COVID-19, the Program Manager or alternate program leader must call the Site Safety Monitor (CG’s Executive Director) who will inform the Situation Room immediately by calling 212-393-2780 to report the case by speaking directly to someone or by leaving a voicemail. Cases can also be reported via email at rts@buildings.nyc.gov. 

City Growers tracks possible COVID exposures of staff and participants internally. Any confirmed or possible COVID-19 exposure cases should be immediately communicated to the Executive Director at 917-426-4002. Once City Growers’ Executive Director is notified, they will initiate contact tracing procedures including notifying CG staff members, participants and chaperones, DOE partners, and other co-located partners who may be onsite with City Growers.

DOE HEALTH SCREENING – City Growers staff conducting workshops in DOE School buildings or outdoor spaces may be required to complete the DOE Health Screening form before entering the space each day. Anyone entering the building may also need to confirm that they are not experiencing any symptoms of COVID-19, have not recently tested positive, and are not currently required to quarantine based on close contact with an infected person. If you need a thermometer to check for a fever, you can request one from your school. As a CBO provider, City Growers staff check-in under “Guest Screening.” You can search for your building using the building code or DBN. The DOE HEALTH SCREENING FORM can be found at: https://healthscreening.schools.nyc/. If a student or staff member is feeling ill, they should stay home and consider testing, which is an effective way of protecting the whole school community.