To protect the safety and health of its customers and employees, Snohomish County PUD is making changes to operations and access that may impact customers as the COVID-19 outbreak evolves in the region.

The PUD said in a Wednesday announcement that its incident management team continues to follow the utility’s pandemic response plan and work closely with the Snohomish County Health District and other health organizations in determining the best course of action. “As a provider of critical power and water services, the PUD takes seriously its responsibility to deliver them without interruption and will continue to do so throughout this event,” the utility said in a press release.

Following the county’s recommendation of limiting large gatherings, the PUD has canceled all rental and complementary usage of public spaces at PUD locations, including the PUD Auditorium at the utility’s Headquarters in downtown Everett. The headquarters and community offices in Stanwood, Arlington, Snohomish, Monroe and Lynnwood remain open for business for the time being, but customers are encouraged to conduct business with the PUD, when possible, online, over the phone at 425-783-1000 or by email at customerservice@snopud.com.

The PUD has also canceled all upcoming public in-person outreach, including lessons in local schools by PUD Classroom Educators, scheduled events for its high-voltage demonstration trailer and participation in public events such as the home show.

“Though these changes may be an obstacle to some of our day-to-day business at the PUD, we remain committed to serving our customers with electricity and water for their homes and businesses and are ensuring we can continue to do that going forward,” said John Haarlow, Snohomish PUD CEO/GM. “We appreciate the support and understanding of our customers as we respond to this evolving situation.”

PUD has also paused disconnecting customers for late payment. The PUD advises customers to call customer service at 425-783-1000 to set up payment options and make payments by credit card online at snopud.com/snopay or by phone at 1-888-909-4628.

For PUD employees, all meetings of more than 20 people and training classes have been postponed, and all non-essential travel has been halted. In line with the county guidelines, PUD employees are strongly encouraged to work remotely and stay home and seek medical care if they feel sick.