Case rates continue to be extremely high … test positivity rates in other New England locations are rising quickly … the NFL and professional hockey teams are having outbreaks … our NH hospitals are almost overflowing … our NH governor’s response is to encourage people to stay home from the family Christmas gathering if you have symptoms …
Keene just passed an indoor mask mandate.
So, we are strengthening our company policy on covid-19 safety, shown below. My covid-19 nurse friend and adviser says: "The policy is excellent. You’ve certainly done your research and are determined to keep folks safe."
In the office:
- fresh air levels above 30 cfm/person (CO2 below 750 ppm).
- HEPA air filtration above 60 cfm/person
- humidification in winter—a new posting coming soon on this
- masks for multiple people in the same room
Out of the office:
- we all share the same approach of being active to avoid exposure
- avoid going into buildings when possible (curbside pickup, etc.)
- masks when in a building with people outside our family bubbles
- we often check CO2 levels when going into buildings, and leave quickly if they are “in the red"
COVID-19 testing (without symptoms):
- the company provides BinaxNOW antigen tests as needed by employees
- we do antigen testing just prior to any inside-a-building contact with people outside our immediate families—for most of us, this is once a week
If we have any symptoms (for current symptoms list, see blog post of Dec. 13th):
- we stay home, often doing work from home
- do an antigen test right away, and continue to stay home for 24 hours
- 24 hours after symptoms onset, do a second antigen test, and if negative:
- 48 hours after symptoms onset, do an optional PCR test if you wish
Return to in-person work after having symptoms when we have:
- two negative antigen tests or one negative PCR test, AND
- 24 hours after last symptoms (my nurse friend says: "I recommend staying home until 24 hours symptom-free, as there are severe strains of flu out there this season, in addition to covid-19”)
Optional PCR testing:
- five days after unusual potential exposure such as a visit to a construction project