The city of Chattanooga will head back to virtual meetings next week as COVID-19 again surges in the city.
Mayor Tim Kelly will issue an executive order Friday requiring the return of a virtual format for all meetings at Chattanooga City Hall, according to a news release from the city.
"Our local area continues to experience increases in new COVID-19 infections and low - though slowly increasing - vaccination rates," said Mary Lambert, director of community health. "Our team continues to work on vaccine education and outreach so that we can safely return to being with one another in person."
The decision comes after the Hamilton County Department of Health announced potential COVID-19 exposure at a recent city meeting on Wednesday.
(READ MORE: Hamilton County seeing more COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, deaths)
City Council Chairman Chip Henderson said Thursday that council meetings will now have limited seating to encourage a hybrid experience, allowing members of the public to participate virtually beginning Aug. 17.
"It is still open to the public but with very limited seating capabilities," Henderson told the Times Free Press on Wednesday, noting the council would return to having about 30 available seats in the chambers during meetings, as was the case earlier in the pandemic.
"But people can still participate in public comment and of course can watch the meeting virtually. They just have to sign up to comment before 6 p.m. on Tuesdays," Henderson said. "We want everyone to be able to participate, but we really are having to take this one day at a time."
Henderson said the council had slowly begun reimplementing safety measures in recent weeks as cases began to climb, noting that plexiglass dividers between council members and other physical room changes had been made.
"We're trying to do it in conjunction with the city to show consistency throughout the government," he said.
According to the mayor's office, city staff and visitors will continue to wear a mask or facial covering while moving within city buildings, in accordance with Kelly's "masks in motion" policy issued last month.
"We will continue to follow CDC [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] guidance related to meetings and other events," Lambert said. "Challenges are presented when a mix of unvaccinated, partially vaccinated and fully vaccinated individuals attend city hall meetings and events, requiring a layering of prevention strategies - until our vaccination rate increases and our local rate of increase in infections starts to go down."
Members of the public can learn how to participate virtually in council meetings, including a live YouTube stream, by visiting chattanooga.gov/city-council.
City community centers will also remain closed for the foreseeable future with the exception of any public COVID-19 vaccination events held there, according to the release.
To get vaccinated, view the county's calendar of vaccination events at vaccine.hamiltontn.gov or call 423-209-8383.
Contact Sarah Grace Taylor at staylor@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6416. Follow her on Twitter @_sarahgtaylor.