The Energy Department’s Savannah River Site (SRS) in South Carolina disclosed late Friday that it now has recorded 183 confirmed cases of COVID-19 among its workforce, up by 52 from July 17.
In the first update in a week on novel coronavirus 2019, the SRS website said 102 of the federal and contractor employees have recovered and been cleared to return to work. The website did not provide additional information on the latest batch of cases.
“We will continue to implement enhanced health and safety protocols including; social distancing, mandatory face coverings, and gathering restrictions, as well as continued increased cleaning and sanitation procedures,” SRS management said in the notice.
The Savannah River Site has about 11,000 federal and contract employees in operations for the DOE Office of Environmental Management and the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA).
Recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention put South Carolina’s infection rate at 1,570 cases per 100,000, with the worst locales being seaside communities. Allendale, one of the three counties surrounding Savannah River, has 1,680 per 100,000. Aiken County is well below the state average at 716, while Barnwell County averages 1,340 cases per 100,000, according to state statistics.
Meanwhile, the Hanford Site in Washington state confirmed an additional seven cases over the weekend. The Hanford Site, unlike SRS, does not report a total count of COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began. It is believed the total is at least 39, based on anecdotal information.
Hanford also has roughly 11,000 employees. Its workforce is devoted primarily to environmental remediation of the former plutonium production complex.
Hanford and Savannah River have been the most transparent among DOE nuclear cleanup sites regarding COVID-19 cases among personnel. Both are still in Phase 1 of DOE’s multistage remobilization program. Nearly all nuclear cleanup operations dropped to minimal on-site staffing between late March and late May in an effort to slow the spread of the virus. Most employees are still either telecommuting or collecting unpaid leave during Phase 1, although some in key jobs or work needing little protective equipment, are returning to the complex.
As of Thursday, there were 94 active cases within the DOE Office of Environmental Management (EM) complex. The count at the end of the previous week was 66.
