COVID-19 Team Update: Resources and Guidelines, Now Available in Spanish

With the start of the new year, we want to remind you of the many resources available to keep you, your colleagues, and your families safe. Below are health and safety guidelines that have been developed to support you. Please engage your supervisors, safety coordinators, and your unit’s Emergency Operations Group (EOG) representatives with questions specific to you and your team.

We would also like to emphasize how you can protect yourself and your colleagues in the workplace. Recently the Smithsonian has taken difficult but necessary steps to safeguard visitors and staff. Out of an abundance of caution, we re-closed our museums and the zoo to the public, and more recently, New York and Washington-area facilities were directed to further limit on site operations. These precautions were taken to reduce the number of person-to-person interactions that take place on site, in turn reducing the risk of transmission and protecting our essential staff.

We all – central support offices, units, and individuals – share responsibility for preventing the spread of COVID-19. Units, please take this opportunity to reassess your on-site operations and revisit the Risk Assessment Worksheet. Physical distancing in the workplace should be employed to the greatest extent possible, and the COVID-19 Risk Mitigation Strategies document outlines numerous practical and creative ways to achieve this goal.

Supervisors and employees, please continue to wear face coverings, practice social distancing, and kindly encourage your colleagues to do the same. Two common scenarios that increase your risk of exposure are extended face-to-face meetings and eating meals together. Avoid putting yourself in an unsafe situation by maintaining physical distance, following occupancy guidelines, and limiting the number and duration of in-person interactions. With these safety measures in place, it is still possible to work together, greet a colleague, and achieve our shared goals.

en Español

Finally, the COVID-19 Response Team is pleased to announce that several important reopening resources as well as recent SI-Wide announcements are available in Spanish. To access the Spanish language resources, visit the Reopening website and click on “En Español” under Reopening Resources. To access SI-Wide announcements, visit the COVID-19 website, open an announcement, and scroll to the “En Español” link at the bottom of the page.

Finalmente, el equipo de respuesta al COVID-19 se complace en anunciar que varios recursos importantes acerca de nuestra reapertura, y los anuncios SI más recientes, están disponibles en español. Para ver los recursos en español, visite el sitio web de reapertura y haga clic en “En Español” bajo recursos sobre la reapertura. Para ver los anuncios SI, visite el sitio web del COVID-19, haga clic en uno de los anuncios, y baje el cursor hasta el final de la página al enlace “En Español.”

Thank you for your ongoing support and commitment to our community.

Stay safe and be well,

The COVID-19 Response Team
si-coronavirusinfo@si.edu

Smithsonian Health and Safety Guidelines

• Daily Health Screening: The most important thing you can do to slow the spread of COVID-19 is stay home if you feel unwell or have answered “yes” to any of the daily health screening questions. Remember, the screening must be completed daily before arriving at the worksite, even for short visits.

If a case is reported at one of our facilities, the Team will quickly begin anonymous contact tracing and will notify any primary contacts that they may have been exposed to the virus. Remember, by limiting your interactions with colleagues, you are limiting your and their potential exposure to the virus.

• Leave Options and Workplace Flexibilities: The Smithsonian has asked all units to be as flexible, creative, and understanding as possible in adapting workloads, priorities, and schedules to help employees accomplish their duties.If you need time away from work, there are several leave options and workplace flexibilities available to you. Discuss any concerns with your supervisor, who along with your unit’s HR liaison can help you find solutions.
• Mandatory Use of Face Coverings: All staff and affiliates are required to wear face coverings while on Smithsonian property. Approved cloth face coverings are being provided. Staff can wear their own covering if the covering fully covers the nose and mouth, does nothave an exhalation valve, and conforms to applicable uniform requirements. Social distancing is not a substitute for using a face covering. For tips and tricks on how to fit and test a face covering, watch this video.

If you require enhanced CPE or PPE to accomplish your work, please contact your supervisor or unit safety coordinator who can assist you with procuring this equipment.

• Cleaning Strategies: The Office of Facilities Management and Reliability (OFMR) is taking precautions to protect our community against COVID-19. Staff must also ensure workspaces, especially shared workstations, are cleaned and properly disinfected. Requests for cleaning supplies, PPE, and CPE, including face coverings, should be made through your supervisor.

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