Immediate Changes to COVID-19 Protocols on Testing, Quarantine, and Other Requirements

August 24, 2022

Effective Monday, Aug. 22, the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force made several changes to COVID-19 protocols that have been adopted by the U.S. Department of Energy and promulgated to all the national labs. As a result, we're implementing several immediate changes to Brookhaven Lab's COVID-19 protocols, as follows:

• Instead of at-home quarantine based on vaccination status, all individuals who have been identified as a close contact of someone with COVID-19 but are asymptomatic can continue to work, but must wear a high-quality mask (surgical or KN-95), take other post-exposure precautions (such as avoiding crowding and physically distancing from others), and watch for symptoms for 10 full days after exposure, consistent with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance. All individuals identified as a close contact must test at least 5 full days (ideally, on or after day 6) after their last exposure, either via an at-home antigen test or a PCR laboratory test.
• Regardless of vaccination status, Brookhaven Science Associates (BSA) employees cannot go on official Lab travel if they have an active case of COVID-19. Employees are to adhere strictly to CDC, state, and local guidelines before, during, and after travel, regardless of whether the travel is personal or for official business. The CDC has provided guidance on travel for fully vaccinated people. Additional guidance pertaining to travel can be found at https://www.bnl.gov/covid19/travel-guidance.php.
• The 50-person limit on internal (BSA) meetings has been removed.
• Lab visitors and guests are not required to provide vaccination information nor provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test when accessing Lab facilities or attending a Lab-hosted meeting, event, or conference.
• Unvaccinated staff with an approved exemption no longer need to participate in mandatory weekly COVID-19 testing at the Occupational Medicine Clinic.

All staff without an approved exemption are still required to be fully vaccinated, and we encourage everyone to stay up-to-date on available boosters. Face coverings are still mandatory on site while the Community Level is High, and we recommend that you complete the self-check before coming to the Lab site, stay home if you have a fever or are experiencing any COVID 19-related symptoms, and take common-sense precautions to keep yourselves and your colleagues safe.

Our primary concern continues to be the health and safety of everyone on site. We will continue to keep staff informed about any additional changes to COVID-19 controls as the conditions warrant.

If you have any questions, please contact me at Ext. 7474, or Tom Daniels at Ext. 4752.

— Jack Anderson
Deputy Director for Operations