KENNEWICK — More Hanford employees will be returning to onsite work Monday.
The nuclear reservation will be transitioning to Phase 2 of its ramp-up of operations, after most workers were sent home in March to telework if possible to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
About 10 percent of workers continued to report to work to perform tasks essential to protect the environment, workers and the public.
A phased return to work began at the end of May, with 50 percent of the site’s approximately 11,000 workers on site last week, 45 percent teleworking and about 5 percent not working but being paid under the stimulus program passed by Congress and signed by President Donald Trump in March.
Phase 1 operations continued far longer than originally envisioned, Hanford Department of Energy manager Brian Vance told workers last week.
But on Thursday he said community conditions — such as COVID testing capability and hospital capacity — and protective measures being taken on the site allow more workers to return to onsite work.
The number of new cases reported daily in the Tri-Cities area remains at a level that the Washington state Department of Health considers high, but they have dropped by more than 50 percent since the start of July.
About 135 of Hanford’s employees, or just over 1 percent, have reported testing positive for COVID-19, according to cumulative information posted on the Hanford app.
Earlier this month, when the number of cases topped 100, none of the workers were believed to have been infected at work. Updated information was not immediately available late Thursday afternoon.
“We have worked hard to prevent the spread of COVID-19 through our established COVID-19 protocols and practices, which continue to be key factors in prevention,” Vance said in a memo to employees Thursday. “These measure are working here and around the country.”
They include requiring face coverings, frequent hand washing and social distancing.
