The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is still keeping its workforce at home as the COVID-19 Delta variant spikes infections across the country.
NRC is following the Office of Management and Budget and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines for managing the pandemic, a spokesperson for the agency told Weapons Complex Morning Briefing via email Wednesday.
“While most of our employees remain on maximum telework, any employee currently entering an NRC facility is required to be masked and to wear the mask as outlined in the CDC guidance,” the spokesperson said. The commission is still taking other precautions like regular sanitization and social distancing in agency buildings.
NRC is enforcing these guidelines at its Rockville, Md. headquarters as well as its training centers and all four of its regional offices, “in particular [in] high transmission areas,” the spokesperson said.
As for vaccines, NRC is still collecting data on how much of its workforce has gotten the jab. Early reports indicate a “high level” of agency employees have been vaccinated, the spokesperson said. Those who don’t get a vaccine will need to be tested regularly.
“The safety of our employees and our contractors is our priority in establishing COVID-19 workforce policies in any NRC facility, now and upon re-entry,” the spokesperson said.
