GUYTON — The City of Guyton intends to open the door to “business as usual” gradually and cautiously.

During its May 12 meeting, the council voted unanimously to open City Hall and other city facilities to the public June 1 as long as the local COVID-19 situation doesn’t take a turn for the worse. City employees were approved to return to City Hall on Monday.

“Even though we have a nice reception area (in City Hall) that could be easily cleaned, this will give us a little extra time to prepare,” Mayor Russ Dean said.

The majority of city employees have continued to work during the pandemic while following guidelines for social distancing.

“There have been scheduling shifts where we have done our best to keep people from being on top of each other working different days, answering phones different days and different responsibilities ...” Deen said.

Deen noted that the staggered shifts had created a small backlog of work. The days before June 1 will be used to take care of it and implement new City Hall safety measures for the public.

Council member Michael Johnson recommended installing a hand sanitizer dispenser near the public entrance. He also said residents should wear a mask when they enter the building.

In other moves, the council:

— OK’d the purchase of two patrol cars and related equipment for the Guyton Police Department. The total cost, paid for with SPLOST funds, is $58,000.

— approved a contract with the National Fire Service for the sale of the city’s firefighting equipment. The City of Guyton entered into a contract for fire services with the Effingham County Board of Commissioners last year.

— named Dr. Marnie Dasher, Lula Seabrooks and the Rev. Joel Tucker to serve two-year terms on the council’s Ethics Committee.