MARS — With five members in attendance, members of borough council voted Monday night to invite Santa Claus to town.

Mayor Gregg Hartung asked council to approve township and police vehicles to participate in a multi-municipality Santa tour scheduled for Dec. 19.

“(It's) sort of to travel around to the neighborhoods,” Hartung said. “Like we did for Easter with the Easter bunny.”

At this point in time, the tour is expected to go through neighborhoods in Mars, Adams Township, Middlesex Township, Evans City, Seven Fields, Callery and Valencia. The event is planned for 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Council unanimously approved the participation.

Residents are asked to listen for fire sirens and be on the lookout for emergency and municipal vehicles on Dec. 19. Details and route information should be posted online closer to the event.

Council discussed how the borough will handle pay for employees who are in quarantine related to COVID-19.“Municipal employees are considered essential,” said Mike Fleming, council president. “There should be no shutdown for anything other than a (positive) COVID issue.”Going into the meeting, members of council were unclear on what is legally required of municipalities when it comes to paying employees who are in quarantine.“It's one of those things where it is vague,” said Bonnie Forsythe, borough secretary and treasurer. “So, I'm sure there's room for interpretation.”Forsythe provided council with information from the Family First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA).According to the act, employees must receive “80 hours of paid sick leave at the employee's regular rate of pay where the employee is unable to work because the employee is quarantined … and/or experiencing COVID-19 symptoms and seeking a medical diagnosis.”The act also states employees can be covered for up to 80 hours of paid sick leave “at two-thirds the employee's regular rate of pay because the employee is unable to work because of a bona fide need to care for an individual subject to quarantine.”This also applies if an employee needs to stay home to care for a child whose child care provider is closed due to COVID-19.Additionally, the employer can be responsible for covering up to another 10 weeks “paid expanded family and medical leave at two-thirds the employee's regular rate of pay.”This would apply if an employee is responsible for caring for children due to a COVID-19-related situation. The employee must have been employed 30 days or more.A complete explanation of the FFCRA is available on the U.S. Department of Labor website. FFCRA is effective through Dec. 31 at this time.Borough leaders said they'll continue to watch for guidance from state and federal lawmakers.