​Contact:

Meghan Porter, Public Information Supervisor, 360-490-0562 or email at Meghan.porter@co.thurston.wa.us

OLYMPIA – Because of the rapid spread of COVID-19 in Thurston County due to the Omicron variant, in-person options for all Board of Commissioners, Board of Health, and Transportation Benefit Board meetings, work sessions, and public hearings will be removed, effective Wednesday, January 12, 2022.

The majority of the Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) agreed to move to virtual only meetings for public participation to protect the health of our community and ease the spread of the Omicron variant. This move closes Room 280 – located in Building 1, 2000 Lakeridge Drive SW in Olympia - to the public.

Residents can attend and provide public comment during board meetings and public hearings by Zoom or phone. To register to attend a regularly scheduled BoCC, Board of Health (BoH), or Transportation Benefit District (TBD) meeting, visit the BoCC agenda page. To register to attend a public hearing, visit the public hearings webpage.

For public attendance via conference call, you can call (360) 252-9020 and enter 1234. You can also provide public testimony via the conference call option.

"This is obviously not where we wanted to be two years into the pandemic," said BoCC chair Carolina Mejia. "But we have to continue to adapt our way of doing business. While the mass closures we saw at the beginning of the pandemic are not well suited at this point in the pandemic, not only for economic reasons but also our collective and emotional wellbeing, there are steps we can take to mitigate the rapid spread of this new variant."

The board will reevaluate this decision on Tuesday, February 8. During this time, all board meetings and briefings will continue to be live streamed on the county's YouTube channel at: www.youtube.com/c/thurstoncountywashington.

All county offices remain open to the public at this time, but residents are encouraged to access county services online or by phone whenever appropriate. You can find the websites for offices and departments on the county's elected offices and departments webpage. There are also several drop boxes, to include a drop box for permitting. Reach out to the office or department you need support from for more information on drop box availability.

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