Employees for the Energy Department’s remediation contractor at the Portsmouth Site in Ohio were advised recently that they would face a 14-day self-quarantine following travel to a handful of states hit particularly hard by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a July 29 memo to employees, Fluor-BWXT Portsmouth said anyone who visits states listed in Ohio’s travel advisory will not be allowed to re-enter the Portsmouth Site until the isolation period is completed.
“Those who can telework can still do so during this time-frame,” according to company, which indicated the policy took effect Aug. 3.
Gov. Mike DeWine (R) recommended self-quarantine for individuals who travel from Ohio to states reporting positive testing rates of 15% or higher for COVID-19. The Ohio Department of Health has posted a travel advisory listing the affected states, which is updated every Wednesday.
The four states listed on the restricted list as of Tuesday were Mississippi (23.4% infection rate), Nevada (17.5%), Florida (16.2%), and Idaho (15.4%). That is slimmed down from the list cited in last month’s Fluor-BWXT memo: Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Idaho, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Kansas.
The Energy Department’s Nevada National Security Site and Idaho National Laboratory are located in states with the listed high infection rates. South Carolina, home to the Savannah River Site, was on the Ohio advisory list a few weeks ago but has since fallen off.
While in quarantine, after traveling to one of the states in the advisory, Fluor-BWXT workers will not be eligible for COVID-leave pay under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Instead, the affected workers must take paid time off or leave without pay if telework is not an option, according to the company memo.
Fluor-BWXT employs about 1,900 people at the former gaseous diffusion plant site. Sources have previously indicated there have been a couple positive coronavirus tests at Portsmouth this year.
