The Energy Department on Monday reported the first case of COVID-19 among the workforce at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina, which is now being downshifted to “minimum mission-critical activities.”
Management at SRS management learned of the positive test Monday morning, according to a DOE press release.
“During this period, activities that support our missions will be limited to those necessary to ensure the safety of the public, our workers, the environment, and critical national security missions,” the release says. “The transition to minimum mission-critical activities is being specifically tailored to each facility at SRS.”
The Savannah River Site is taking the action, which includes maximum use of telecommuting, out of an abundance of caution, DOE said in the release. The site already increased telework for those with “potential exposure” to illness, according to the SRS website.
About 11,000 people work at SRS, including employees of DOE’s Office of Environmental Management and semiautonomous National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), along with their contractors.
A spokesperson declined Monday to say if the person who tested positive is a federal employee or works for a vendor at Savannah River.
Michael Budney, DOE’s manager for Savannah River, said at an industry event earlier this month that site’s infectious disease control plan includes calculations for the minimum number of people required to perform certain tasks.
Also on Monday, the NNSA contractor for the Y-12 National Security Complex at the Oak Ridge Site in Tennessee confirmed that an employee was in isolation after testing positive for COVID-19.
On Sunday, DOE’s Hanford Site in Washington state said nonessential workers should stay home while the complex does an inventory of personal protective equipment and conducts planning for the current COVID-19 crisis.
