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Today we confirmed a second and third case of COVID-19 at the Groton shipyard.
In accordance with privacy laws, we cannot release the names of the employees, but we can provide this information:
• The first individual works in the Construction Support Engineering department in Building 97.
• The individual has not been on company property since March 13.
• This person was tested at their physician’s direction on March 25.
• The individual continues to recuperate at home.
• Our incident response team is contacting employees who work near the individual or who came into close contact with the individual. Because this individual has been out of the shipyard for more than 14 days, the risk for infection to others is considered minimal.
• The second individual is a Carpenter in D252.
• The individual has not been on company property since March 20.
• This person became symptomatic on March 22 and was tested at their physician’s direction on March 23.
• The individual continues to recuperate at home.
• Our incident response team is contacting employees who work near the individual or who came into close contact with the individual. Because this individual was not symptomatic at work, and has now been out of work for 12 days, the risk for infection to others is considered minimal.
In both cases, these individuals recognized they were becoming ill and took the following steps:
• They made the decision to stay home, reducing risk to their co-workers.
• They sought medical attention and notified their supervisor of their potential illness.
• Most importantly, these individuals have stayed away from work while they continue to recuperate.
As I walked through the shipyard today, I noticed that many of you are still at work, and still focused on our important mission, and I thank you for helping our team stay on task.
But I noticed something else – that not enough of us are practicing social distancing.
All of us have a very human need to interact with our families, colleagues and friends. This is also true when we are under stress – we’ve all heard the expression “there is safety in numbers” and that impulse is a very primitive instinct. It causes us to band together sometimes without even thinking about it. When we are faced with a global pandemic, the opposite is true. There is more safety in staying physically separated from each other.
Personally, I’ve been practicing social distancing, but I believe I need to do better. I’m sure I’m not alone. Starting today, any meeting I am part of will be done virtually, I will make sure that I am keeping a safe distance when I am speaking to any of you and I will be reminding you to do the same to the maximum extent practical. Let’s double down on social distancing so we can stop the spread of this disease.
By adhering to social distancing and practicing good self-protection, we can help to keep everyone who works at or supports Electric Boat safe and healthy, while we meet our obligation to continue our work as an essential part of our nation’s defense.
So, keep a safe distance. Wash your hands. Stay hydrated. Get rest when you can. And most importantly, stay home if you are sick or in close contact with an individual with COVID-19.
Continue to stay tuned to Homeport and EB Landing, posted hardcopies and email for the latest updates to our business.
Thank you for all you do. Please continue to stay healthy and safe!
Kevin
