The full article is re-printed below
Preparedness Measures: Ensure employees follow these guidelines, which continue to be the best practices for preventing COVID-19 transmission. CDC believes symptoms appear 2 to 14 days after exposure. The best way to prevent infection is to avoid exposure.
CDC recommendations include following these basic health measures can reduce the spread of infection:
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
- Stay home when you are sick.
- Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
- If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. Always wash hands with soap and water if hands are visibly dirty.
- The CDC recommends anyone over the age of 6 months should receive a flu vaccine and encourages people to do so by the end of October. Vaccinations are particularly important for are at high risk of serious complications from influenza. More information can be found at: https://www.cdc.gov/flu/prevent/vaccinations.htm
- There is no longer a waiting period required between receiving the Flu and COVID-19 Vaccines. The CDC updated their guidance September 2021: https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/clinical-considerations/covid-19-vaccines-us.html, and https://www.cdc.gov/flu/season/faq-flu-season-2021-2022.htm
The following CDC link, About Coronavirus Disease 2019, provides excellent and concise information for all employees about COVID-19 including prevention, symptoms, how it spreads and what to do if you are sick.
CDC recommends:
- Face Coverings: Consistent with Executive Order 13991 and accompanying OMB Memoranda 21-15 and 21-25, all NCA employees, contractors, and visitors must comply with current CDC guidance regarding the correct and consistent us of face coverings and physical distancing. Due to the COVID-19 Delta variant, CDC released guidance on July 28, 2021, that all vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals should wear a face covering indoors in counties with substantial or high community transmission. On July 29, 2021, NCA leaders were provided with updated mask guidance based upon CDC and VA COS guidance.
This updated guidance was issued to maximize protection from the Delta and Omicron variants and reduce the possibility of spreading the virus to others. Updated guidance included:
- Beginning July 30, 2021, all Federal employees, onsite contractors, and visitors, regardless of vaccination status, must wear a mask inside Federal buildings located in areas of “substantial” or “high” community transmission.
Each NCA Cemetery and office should check the COVID-19 by County | CDC
- daily before the start of each day to see if the county in which the Cemetery or Office is located is determined to be in a “high” or “substantial” risk category of transmission. If your cemetery is in a “high” or “substantial” county, then masks must be worn in federal buildings (e.g., Admin buildings, PICs, and office buildings).
- Masks must be worn indoors in any common areas or shared workspaces (including open floorplan office space, cubicle embankments, conference rooms and while in VA vehicles), except when an individual is alone in an office with floor to ceiling walls and a closed door or for a limited time when eating or drinking and maintaining distancing in accordance with CDC guidelines.
- Masks must cover the nose and mouth, fit snuggly around the nose and chin with no large gaps around the sides of the face and adhere to CDC and OSHA guidance. Novelty/non-protective masks, masks with exhalation valves or vents, or face shields worn without a face mask are not substitutes for masks.
- Cemeteries should continue to ensure masks are available for employees, contractors, and visitors at work sites. As soon as possible, Cemeteries should post signs and post information online on agency websites making clear what masking requirements apply in each of our Cemeteries.
- Federal employees, onsite contractors, and visitors who are not fully vaccinated also need to continue to physically distance consistent with CDC guidance.
- CDC states that in general, fully vaccinated individuals do not need to wear a mask in outdoor settings but should consider wearing a mask in crowded outdoor settings and for activities with close contactwith others who are not fully vaccinated in areas high numbers of COVID-19 cases. Being in crowds like in restaurants, bars, fitness centers, or movie theaters puts you at higher risk for COVID-19. Avoid indoor spaces that do not offer fresh air from the outdoors as much as possible. If indoors, bring in fresh air by opening windows and doors, if possible. Even if you are fully vaccinated, to maximize protection from the Omicron variant and prevent possibly spreading it to others, wear a mask indoors in public if you are in an area of substantial or high transmission. Individuals who are moderately to severely immunocompromised are strongly encouraged to wear face coverings as they may not be protected even if they are fully vaccinated. These individuals should continue to take all precautions recommended for unvaccinated people until advised otherwise by their healthcare provider. For more information please see CDC Guidance on Families with Vaccinated and Unvaccinated Members.
Employees, contractors and visitors who are not fully vaccinated must wear a face covering (regardless of the level of transmission) when entering federal buildings, in any common areas or shared workspaces (e.g., hallways, bathrooms, copy rooms, conference rooms), riding in vehicles with other employees, in outdoor shared spaces or whenever unable to maintain 6 feet of physical distance (e.g., setting headstones; transferring and lowering of casketed remains) between other co-workers or visitors.
Employees, contractors, and visitors who are fully vaccinated must wear a face covering when entering federal buildings, in any common areas or shared workspaces (e.g., hallways, bathrooms, copy rooms, conference rooms), and riding in vehicles with other employees in areas of the country that are experiencing substantial or high levels of transmission.
Masks are not required to be worn outdoors, by either vaccinated or not fully vaccinated individuals if they can maintain 6 feet of distance from others. Given the nature of the work in NCA cemeteries, employees should wear masks when engaging in activities that do not permit the minimum of 6 feet of distance (riding in cemetery vehicles; setting headstones; transferring and lowering of casketed remains, etc.)
NCA provides face coverings for all employees, contractors, and visitors.
| Areas of Substantial or High Transmission | Areas of Low or Moderate Transmission | |||
| Indoors | Outside2 | Indoors | Outside3 | |
| Fully Vaccinated1 | Yes | No (unless in a crowd) | No | No |
| Not Fully Vaccinated | Yes | No (unless in a crowd) | Yes | No |
1Currently, people are considered fully vaccinated either 2 weeks after their second dose in a 2-dose series, such as the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or 2 weeks after a single-dose vaccine, such as Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine.
2Masks must be worn when outdoors when physical distance cannot be maintained. Examples of when physical distancing cannot be maintained may include riding in cemetery vehicles with others, headstone setting, and transferring and lowering casketed remains.
3Masks should be worn when outdoors when physical distance cannot be maintained. Examples of when physical distancing cannot be maintained may include riding in cemetery vehicles with others, headstone setting, and transferring and lowering casketed remains.
If an employee raises a disability or religious issue as the reason for not wearing a face covering, the supervisor s follows VA’s process to review and consider what, if any, reasonable accommodation should be offered in accordance with existing Equal Opportunity Employment Commission guidance. NCA supervisors may also contact NCA’s HCM Employee and Labor Relations team or Local Reasonable Accommodations Coordinator for assistance. NCA may provide exceptions consistent with CDC guidelines, for example, when an individual is alone in an office with floor to ceiling walls and a closed door or for a limited time when eating or drinking and maintaining distancing in accordance with CDC guidelines.
As a critical public health tool for preventing the spread of COVID-19, VA uses masking as one of multiple mitigation strategies to protect the workforce. In addition to following guidance from the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force on masking requirements, VA is also temporarily providing N95 non-surgical respirators (filtering facepieces) to NCA employees who voluntarily elect to use them. Initially N95 respirators were in short supply and the country was asked to reserve these for healthcare workers. The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) now has a sufficient supply of N95 respirators and as a result, they are offering them to non-healthcare workers throughout VA. This is very helpful considering how contagious the Omicron variant is and how rapidly it is spreading. Please see Understanding the Difference to ascertain the qualities of the surgical mask and the N95 respirator.
NCA employees who voluntarily elect to use N95 respirators should take certain precautions to be sure that the respirator itself does not present a hazard and should review Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) Respiratory Protection Standard 1910.134 Appendix D prior to first use. People with underlying medical conditions should check with their health care provider before wearing a respirator.
All employees who elect to wear one of these N95 respirators are strongly encouraged to reference the resources listed below. Supervisors will encourage employees to review these materials before using the N95 respirator for the first time and allow them to review these resources on duty time. Please reference the following:
- CDC Factsheet on How to Properly Put On and Take off a Disposable Respirator
- CDC/Department of Health and Human Services Publication on User Seal Check
- OSHA’s General Training Video for Putting On and Taking Off a Mask Correctly
- NCA N95 Safety Fact Sheet
Please see CDC article, Your Guide to Masks for further information regarding how to select, properly wear, clean and store masks and respirators.
N95 non-surgical respirators will be available to employees in all VACO facilities in a phased manner beginning Monday February 7, 2022
- Physical Distancing: Unvaccinated employees are reminded to engage in physical distancing, which means remaining out of congregate settings, avoiding mass gatherings or crowds, and maintaining distance (approximately 6 feet or 2 meters) from others when possible. This is an effective nonpharmaceutical intervention that helps to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and other germs.
- CDC Cleaning and Disinfecting: Clean frequently touched objects and surfaces. In most situations, the risk of infection from touching a surface is low.
- CDC issued new guidance in early April 2021 for understanding when to clean and disinfect your facility.
- When to clean: Cleaning products with soap or detergent once a day, when no people with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 are known to have been in the space.
- When to disinfect: Thoroughly clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces if there has been a sick person or someone who tested positive for COVID-19 in your facility within the last 24 hours.
- When to clean AND Disinfect: After a COVID case has been in a space:
- Before cleaning and disinfecting
- Close off areas used by the person who is sick and do not use those areas until after cleaning and disinfecting.
- Wait as long as possible (at least several hours) before you clean and disinfect.
- While cleaning and disinfecting
- Open doors and windows and use fans or HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) settings to increase air circulation in the area.
- Use products from EPA List Naccording to the instructions on the product label.
- Wear a maskand gloves while cleaning and disinfecting.
- Focus on the immediate areas occupied by the person who is sick or diagnosed with COVID-19 unless they have already been cleaned and disinfected.
- Vacuum the space if needed. Use a vacuum equipped with high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter and bags, if available.
- While vacuuming, temporarily turn off in-room, window-mounted, or on-wall recirculation heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems to avoid contamination of HVAC units.
- Do NOT deactivate central HVAC systems. These systems provide better filtration capabilities and introduce outdoor air into the areas that they serve.
- It is safe to wash dirty laundry from a person who is sick with COVID-19 with other people’s items, if needed.
- Ensure safe and correct use and storage of cleaning and disinfectant products, including storing such products securely and using PPE needed for the cleaning and disinfection products.
- If less than 24 hours have passed since the person who is sick or diagnosed with COVID-19 has been in the space, clean and disinfect the space.
- If more than 24 hours have passedsince the person who is sick or diagnosed with COVID-19 has been in the space, cleaning is enough. You may choose to also disinfect depending on certain conditions or everyday practices required by your facility.
- If more than 3 days have passedsince the person who is sick or diagnosed with COVID-19 has been in the space, no additional cleaning (beyond regular cleaning practices) is needed.
- The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) also provides additional information on disinfectants for use against COVID-19. Please contact the NCA HCM Safety Team if more specific information is needed.
- Multiple variants of the virus that causes COVID-19 have been documented in the United States and globally during this pandemic.
- Information about the characteristics of these variants is rapidly emerging. The CDC is closely monitoring the Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta variants as these seem to spread more easily and quickly than other variants, which may lead to more cases of COVID-19. As of 7/15/21 the Delta variant accounted for 57.6% of all new COVID -19 cases in the U.S. and five hot spots (FL, LA, AR, MO, NV) are accounting for 1/3 of cases in the U.S. The CDC has found that studies suggest that the current authorized vaccines work on the circulating variants. Further information can be found at: About Variants of the Virus that Causes COVID-19 | CDC.
- Omicron: On November 26, 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) classified a new variant, Omicron (B.1.1.529), as a Variant of Concern. The Omicron variant likely will spread more easily than the original SARS-CoV-2 virus and how easily Omicron spreads compared to Delta remains unknown. CDC expects that anyone with Omicron infection can spread the virus to others, even if they are vaccinated or don’t have symptoms. Current vaccines are expected to protect against severe illness, hospitalizations, and deaths due to infection with the Omicron variant. However, breakthrough infections in people who are fully vaccinated are likely to occur. With other variants, like Delta and Omicron, vaccines have remained effective at preventing severe illness, hospitalizations, and death.
- Activities, Gatherings and Holidays: The CDC has also updated their information with regard to slowing the spread of COVID-19 for daily activities, indoor and outdoor activities, gatherings and holidays: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/essential-goods-services.html
- As restaurants and bars resume operations in some areas, the CDC has provided strategies and considerations for ways to limit the spread of COVID-19 since the disease is mostly spread by respiratory droplets released when people talk, cough or sneeze: CDC Considerations for Restaurants and Bars.
- Quarantine and Isolation: Individuals need to know what to do when they test positive for COVID-19 (isolate) versus what to do when they are exposed to an individual COVOD-19 (quarantine). If you were exposed to someone with COVID-19m you should quarantine. If you are sick or test positive for COVID-19, you should isolate. On January 27, 2022, CDC updated COVID-19 isolation and quarantine recommendations with shorter isolation (for asymptomatic and mildly ill people) and quarantine periods to focus on the period when a person is most infectious. These updated recommendations also facilitate individual and social well-being needs, return to work, and maintenance of critical infrastructure.
| Calculating Quarantine
Current as of 2/11/22 The date of your exposure is considered day 0. Day 1 is the first full day after your last contact with a person who has had COVID-19. Stay home and away from other people for at least 5 days. |
|||
| IF YOU
|
Quarantine for at least 5 full days
Stay home
Wear a well-fitted mask if you must be around others in your home.
Get tested
|
After quarantine
Watch for symptoms
Avoid travel
If you develop symptoms |
Take precautions until day 10
Wear a mask
If you must travel during days 6-10, take precautions.
Avoid eating and drinking around others, avoid environments where they may be unmasked around others (i.e., gyms), and avoid being around people who are at high risk
|
| IF YOU
|
No quarantine You do not need to stay home unless you develop symptoms. Get tested
|
Watch for symptoms Watch for symptoms until 10 full days after you last had close contact with someone with COVID-19. If you develop symptoms
|
Take precautions until day 10
Wear a mask Avoid eating and drinking around others, avoid environments where they may be unmasked around others (i.e., gyms), and avoid being around people who are at high risk |
| IF YOU
|
No quarantine You do not need to stay home unless you develop symptoms. |
Watch for symptoms Watch for symptoms until 10 full days after you last had close contact with someone with COVID-19. If you develop symptoms Isolate immediately and get tested. Continue to stay home until you know the results. Wear a well-fitted mask around others. |
Take precautions until day 10
Wear a mask Avoid eating and drinking around others, avoid environments where they may be unmasked around others (i.e., gyms), and avoid being around people who are at high risk |
| Calculating Isolation
Current as of 2/11/22
Day 0 is your first day of symptoms or a positive viral test. Day 1 is the first full day after your symptoms developed or your test specimen was collected. If you have COVID-19 or have symptoms, isolate for at least 5 days.
|
|||
| IF YOU
|
Stay home for at least 5 full days Stay home for 5 days and isolate from others in your home. Wear a well-fitted mask if you must be around others in your home.
|
Ending isolation if you had symptoms End isolation after 5 full days if you are fever-free for 24 hours (without the use of fever-reducing medication) and your symptoms are improving. Ending isolation if you did NOT have symptoms
If you were severely ill with COVID-19 or are immune-compromised,
|
Take precautions until day 10
Wear a mask
Do not travel
Avoid being around people who are at high risk
|
For the latest information regarding quarantine, isolation, and leave, please review the OCHCO Bulletin Updated Guidance on Quarantine and Isolation and Available Leave Options During COVID-19, dated February 11, 2022
Regardless of whether an employee needs to quarantine (based on the above criteria), all employees who have been exposed to COVID-19 should watch for symptoms until 10 days after they last had close contact with someone with COVID-19. If an employee develops symptoms, isolate immediately and get tested.
Please see the flow chart below to use as an aid in understanding this guidance.
The CDC has created a communication toolkit to help with providing needed COVID-19 prevention messaging in limited English proficient populations as it is provided in their native languages. This information can be found at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/communication-toolkit.html?deliveryName=USCDC_2067-DM30162
[1] Up-to-date means a person has received all recommended COVID-19 vaccines, including any booster dose(s) when eligible. Fully vaccinated means a person has received their primary series of COVID-19 vaccines.