Hi everyone; it’s Kevin. Today is Friday, February 11.
Since COVID began, our first priority has been to keep everyone as safe as possible. To do that, we have followed federal, state and local mask mandates, and will continue to do that. In response to recent announcements by the states of Rhode Island and Connecticut, combined with our employee vaccination rate of about 86%, and declining case rates, our mask policies are being updated effective tomorrow, February 12th.
In Rhode Island, the indoor mask mandate for businesses expires today. In keeping with this change, Quonset Point employees are no longer required to wear a mask indoors effective tomorrow, February 12th.
In Connecticut, the state continues to mandate that unvaccinated people wear a mask indoors. In response, starting tomorrow, February 12th, we are returning to the mask policy that we adopted in May of 2021—that is, fully vaccinated employees are no longer required to wear a face mask while at work, either indoors or outdoors. Those unvaccinated or going through the vaccination process must still wear a face covering while working indoors.
For employees at our remote sites, you should continue to follow the state and local ordinances in your locations.
Everyone, no matter the location, needs to be aware of areas where masks may still be required according to state, local and/or federal requirements. Examples include medical facilities such as our Yard Hospital in Groton and the Dispensary at Quonset Point. You may also need to wear a mask when on government facilities or commissioned submarines. Those of you who visit vendors in other locations should follow the vendor’s rules on mask wearing.
We have a core value of Valuing Each Other, and I want everybody to please be respectful of the personal choices we all will make moving forward with regard to mask wearing. While we will only know in hindsight when this pandemic is considered over, I believe now is the right time to update our mask policies. That said, with safety our number-one priority, I will not hesitate to revise our policies should another COVID-19 variant appear that warrants masking. And like everybody listening, I want to make sure that you appreciate my perspective, and that is, I hope we don’t have to move back to a mask mandate in the future.
Thank you for what you’re doing and for your continued support as we move through living and working with COVID. I know it’s not been easy and the rules change frequently—it can be very frustrating. I believe this puts us in a safe and more relaxed posture than we have been most recently.
We have nothing but opportunity ahead of us with exciting and rewarding work that’s critical to our Nation’s defense. So I want to say thanks for all you do to keep us moving forward safely and on mission.
We’ll talk again soon, thanks.
Kevin
