To: ODV

With everything going on in the world, I sent the following message to the ARRL HQ staff this morning. They need to be our priority and I want them to know what steps we are taking, as best we can, to help limit the spread of the virus here at HQ. I don’t believe these are extreme measures and are only prudent given the guidance we’re all getting from health professionals. Sometimes, trying to separate the fact from the myths is difficult, but I think these steps draw a good balance for the ARRL at this time.

This is potentially just the first step. Diane and I are considering other actions and are trying to plan for what limitations might be imposed by state government or health officials. That, quite honestly, is a guessing game. However, one of the things we are considering is suspension of HQ tours and guest operations at W1AW for a period of time (as yet undefined). As I noted in the message, we are in uncharted territory here so everything should be under consideration. Some ideas will be discarded, but all will be considered.

I will keep you informed as we go down the path. We’re in for an interesting and complicated few months.

73,

Barry, N1VXY

From: Shelley, Barry, N1VXY (CEO) <bshelley@arrl.org>
Sent: Friday, March 13, 2020 9:57 AM
To: HQ Staff <hqstaff@arrl.org>
Subject: Message to Staff

Good Morning:

I’m sure that everyone is concerned about the current pandemic related to the coronavirus. You can’t help but be with all the coverage of the impacts of this disease. And quite honestly, it has consumed my waking hours for the past week or so as well.

We are in uncharted territory, but we are taking what I believe are the appropriate steps given the circumstances and the guidance provided by local, state and federal health professionals. We have reached out to our cleaning company and will be increasing the protocols they use for the nightly cleaning of our building. While currently, our cleaning company is using a hospital grade cleaner on the building on a nightly basis, we will be putting a plan in place to increase the coverage to include wiping down surfaces including desktops, phones, keyboards, doorknobs, pulls and common areas to help limit the possibility of transmission. As such, please try and maximize the area on your desks that is available to be cleaned each evening before you leave.

In addition, we will be limiting staff travel to events where the risk is considered high. Although most events are being cancelled, we will not ask anyone to travel to an event where they would be uncomfortable attending.

In spite of these precautions, please understand, there are no guarantees. We all need to be vigilant and responsible by following the guidance for individual behavior provided by the appropriate health professionals. These include:

1.         Wash your hands frequently with soap and hot water.

2.         Touch your face, nose, mouth and ears less.

3.         Keep your distance from people in public and at work. 6 feet is a good guideline, 3 feet is acceptable.

4.         Cough into your elbow or hands (again washing your hands frequently).

5.         Stay home if you’re not feeling well for any reason. Even if you don’t have the coronavirus, passing any illness onto your co-workers potentially compromises their immune systems which could make them more susceptible to the virus.

Above all, you need to be vigilant about your health and the health of those around you.

We are currently evaluating what steps might be necessary in the case of more severe limitations imposed by the governor or others. If circumstances dictate, we will let you know how that would impact the ARRL and Headquarters’ operations. To ensure that everyone is registered for the HQ Notification System, we will run a test later today.

Finally, there are two words you need to remember during times like these. They are Patience and Flexibility. Information is changing every day and we are doing the best we can to keep up with it and make the appropriate decisions. We will get you information as quickly as possible. However, this may also require everyone to adjust to meet the changing conditions.

I want to thank everyone for their understanding, support, and work during these unprecedented times. We will get through this, even though it might take some time.

  --Barry