LaRC Deputy Center Director Dave Young requested that the following announcement be shared with LaRC Contractors Steering Council members.
Effective Monday, July 12, Langley Research Center will transition to Stage 2 of the Agency Framework for Return to On-site Work.
At this time, the Federal occupancy limit remains in place, which means that we will not see immediate changes to the level of on-site work. However, this transition prepares us for when the Agency is approved to expand capacity beyond 25%. It also positions us for Stage 1.
Like our previous transitions, your health, safety, and well-being remain our top priority and as such we have used a methodical, risk-based, and data-driven approach to decide when we can responsibly move to Stage 2. As outlined in the June 29 Town Hall:
- The local region meets all COVID-19 criteria for Stage 2.
- At the beginning of June, the seven-day testing positivity in Virginia was 2.3% and region 5 was 4.0%. All localities within the Langley catchment area showed a seven-day case rate per 100,000 below 10/100,000 putting region 5 at Low Transmission rate.
- All facilities and systems on-site are available to meet mission requirements.
- Center Operations has implemented multiple facility COVID-19 mitigations, including increased HVAC ventilation, purchased 90 touchless water fountain bottle fillers (33 installed to date) and installed HVAC MERV-13 filters and 50 bipolar ionization units for HVAC air handler units. The LENEL access control system also remains available for contact tracing.
Additionally, we will monitor and follow guidance provided via the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force.
What remains the same from Stage 3
On-site projects activities must be approved through the Return to On-site Work (RTOW 2.0) process. Employees who must be on-site to perform their work may return with center/supervisor approval. All other personnel will continue to telework.
We will continue to actively manage who is accessing the center in order to adhere to capacity limitations and ensure contact tracing protocols are in place, if needed.
All personnel will follow the latest facility safety protocols.
What changes from Stage 3
The work that will be allowable on-site will expand beyond mission critical activities with Directorate level approval.
You can review the latest guidance from the Agency regarding travel for fully vaccinated personnel by clicking here.
Visitors required for approved on-site activities will be allowed with Directorate level approval.
We will continue to review options for food service, daycare, and the fitness center.
To facilitate the transition on July 12, we are updating our return to on-site work materials. We appreciate your patience as we work through this process.
Our ability to transition is in large part due to your vigilance, in our work and in the community during this challenging time. Stay tuned for additional guidance as the Agency works through the Federal occupancy limit and we continue to make strides in our transition.