One more person who works at Department of Energy headquarters in Washington, D.C., was confirmed to have COVID-19, but this person had not been in the Forrestal Building since mid-March, the agency said Friday.
That brings the cumulative total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases at DOE headquarters in the Washington region to at least 13, according to statements posted online since March 18. The count includes people who work at the Forrestal Building in downtown Washington, like the case confirmed Friday, and the agency’s satellite building in Germantown, Md.
Some high-ranking DOE officials have continued repoting to Forrestal periodically since COVID-19 hit U.S. shores in January. The respiratory disease is caused by the novel coronavirus that broke out in Wuhan, China, last year. It has killed about 100,000 people in the United States.
Last week, DOE issued its plan for returning federal employees to Forrestal and Germantown. The four-phase plan, which hasn’t kicked in yet for nonessential employees, includes strategies piloted at National Nuclear Security Administration nuclear-weapon sites that have stayed open throughout the pandemic: face wear and personnel protective equipment, when available; staggered shifts; and rearranging workspaces to allow for social distancing of at least 6 feet between people.
Not all DOE employees will be expected to report back to headquarters as soon as the agency begins Phase 1 of its reopening, according to plans posted online last week.
