NRAO/GBO update - Monday July 13th
We are six weeks into our return to full operations, Phase 1. The North American NRAO/GBO instruments remain operational, IT systems are working well. In Chile, the Office of Chilean Affairs and our NRAO ISMs in the Joint ALMA Observatory remain in IDOS, with some easing of the situation in Chile seen recently (good news).
Across our sites, there have been troubling changes to our risk exposure. Both New Mexico and West Virginia are seeing a resurgence of new infections; Virginia has been more or less constant so far. Around the nation, some regions/cities are seeing huge increases, probably driven by changes in lockdown restrictions, social events, etc. a few weeks ago. A basic assumption in our return to full operations planning is the number of infections decreasing in our states/regions. We are not seeing that. We have several states pulling back some of their reopenings of recent weeks.
In the past month an AUI employee and family members tested positive, they quarantined themselves, recovered and all are well. Several other employees, from all sites, indicated potential exposure to infected family members/friends, and have quarantined/tested themselves. To be clear – as a workforce, we are now being directly exposed to the disease, along multiple paths. An important observation: the tests currently being used have significant false-positive and false-negative occurrences .. in most cases, we recommend you get two tests (ideally separated by 24 hrs) to confirm any outcomes that drive personal decisions (e.g. to quarantine, to go back to work, to meet with family members or acquaintances, etc.). Amongst the ~dozen AUI staff tested in recent weeks, we had one false-positive incident (later testing showed no infection), and a suspected false negative (still being confirmed). It seems 10-20% error rates are possible, so multiple tests must always be considered if there are real symptoms or potential contaminations. People must continue to quarantine during these testing periods; and wearing masks, maintaining physical distancing, avoiding surface contacts, remain critical responsibilities in public.
As mentioned a few times in recent months, we should all have answers to questions like: What are the typical COVID symptoms? Can I tell the difference between COVID and normal colds/flu? How can I measure my temperature at home? Where do you go to be tested if you/family member feels ill? How to quarantine yourself, or someone in your family, or your whole family, if infection occurs? When is it safe to return to work or other activities outside the home after an infection? If you need more information regarding the disease (both related to work, and for home topics) please don’t hesitate to contact ESS, or see our COVID-19 webpage.
During the Return to Full Operations presentation I identified points of contact for staff members with particular issues:
- Safety – Jody Bolyard + ESS team
- Medical – HR (Faye Giles, Allen Lewis, Tracy Samples)
- Office Access, Operations – F&A (Steven Geiger, Skip Lagoyda, Mike Holstine, Mary Mayo)
- IT – CIS (David Halstead, Pat Murphy Matthew McCleary, Chris Clarke)
- Field Protocols – ADs/Division Heads, Supervisors
- Other Topics (e.g. Childcare) – (Lyndele von Schill, Tracy Samples + others – all sites)
Please reach out to these people if you have concerns or questions, or your supervisor, Department Head, Site Director, or me. HR is also preparing information on counselling services for staff and families.
In most respects, our return to full operations has been successful. The VLA was reconfigured, lots of telework progress is being made, funding proposals are being submitted, GBT online… the wheels of the Observatories are turning fine. But difficult challenges lie ahead.. students returning to school/university in the next 4-8 weeks will be complex and stressful. Whatever models the school districts/colleges adopt, I suggest we all be prepared for them to change rapidly, including events driving education totally virtual for the rest of the school year, and parts of the Observatory back towards lockdown. Suggest we hope for the best, but plan for a full range of outcomes.
Thanks to everyone for helping develop and implement our safe working practices, let’s follow them closely, and keep going.
Stay safe.
Tony Beasley
