11,000 Hanford workers ordered to start wearing COVID masks indoors

All Hanford site workers have been ordered to wear face masks indoors, even if they have been vaccinated against COVID-19.

The ruling followed the recommendation this week of the U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention that even vaccinated people wear masks in public places in counties where infection rates are “substantial” or “high.”

The rate of new COVID-19 cases in Benton and Franklin counties is rated as “high,” according to the CDC.

The Department of Energy nuclear reservation in Eastern Washington employs about 11,000 for environmental cleanup on the 580-square-mile site used in World War II and the Cold War to produce plutonium for the nation’s nuclear weapons program.

“We understand that this change may be discouraging,” workers were told in a message. “However it’s important to remember it is intended to protect the health and safety of our workforce and our loved ones.”

Management thanked workers who have chosen to be vaccinated.

An exception to the indoor masking rule may be made if workers are by themselves in an office with the door closed.

Masks also may be removed for eating or drinking as long as at least a 6-foot distance from other people is maintained.

People who have a medical or religious reason to not wear a mask may request an accommodation.

This story was originally published July 28, 2021 at 4:09 PM.