Notice to all prime contractors and their subcontractors with contracts that were awarded and/or are administered by Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard & IMF (COVID-19)

This is Update No. 16 -  Updated as of 3 November 2020 (2:00 pm HST).   Refer to underlined areas for the updates.  The following summarizes the update: 

1.  The close contact definition has been updated in accordance with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) – Close contact is defined as someone who:

a. Was within 6 feet of a COVID-19 infected person for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period* starting from 48 hours before illness onset (or, for asymptomatic COVID-19 infected individuals, 48 hours prior to positive specimen collection) until the time the COVID-19 positive person is isolated regardless of whether the individuals were wearing face coverings, and/or  

b. Had direct contact with secretions (being coughed on, sneezed on, kissing, sharing utensils, etc.) from a COVID-19 infected person. 

*Individual exposures added together over a 24-hour period (e.g., three 5-minute exposures for a total of 15 minutes). 

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This notice is to all prime contractors and their subcontractors with contracts that were awarded and/or are administered by Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility (PHNSY & IMF). 

PHNSY & IMF, hereby, provides further clarification pertaining to the State of Hawaii’s 14-day self-quarantine. 

The State of Hawaii has a mandatory 14-day self-quarantine for individuals traveling from out of state. The State has exceptions to the 14-day self-quarantine, including persons traveling to the State or inter-island to perform critical infrastructure functions.  The State of Hawaii has provided waivers to individuals regarding the 14-day quarantine when arriving from out of state.  However, current PHNSY & IMF guidance does not allow for travelers coming from off-island to enter the DOD workplace for 14 days after arrival, regardless if the individual has a waiver from the State.  This includes the workforce supporting the defense industrial base.  In order to enter the Shipyard/DOD workplace within 14 days of arriving on island, a separate waiver and additional documentation must be submitted through the Government chain of command and approved by the U.S. Pacific Fleet Commander.  Such waivers will be submitted and processed only when, at the Government’s sole discretion, it is absolutely necessary.   

Although the State of Hawaii has partially reinstated the 14-day quarantine period allowing interisland passengers arriving on Oahu to not require to quarantine, effective 11 August 2020, the PHNSY & IMF restrictions remain in effect until further notice.  Therefore, contractor employees traveling from outside of the island of Oahu are restricted from entering the DOD workplace for 14 days after arrival.  The 14-day period starts from the day the traveler arrived in Oahu.

The State of Hawaii’s pre-travel testing program is set to begin on 15 Oct 2020.  Under this program, travelers will have to test negative for COVID-19 no more than 72 hours before arrival to qualify for an exemption from the state’s quarantine requirement.

Although the State of Hawaii’s pre-travel testing program will exempt qualified individuals from the state’s quarantine requirement, PHNSY & IMF’s requirement remains unchanged and travelers coming from off-island are restricted from entering the DOD workplace for 14 days after arrival.

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CRITERIA RESTRICTIONS FROM ENTERING DOD WORKPLACE

Contractor employees meeting any of the six criteria below are restricted from entering the Department of Defense (DOD) workplace:  

1. Contractor employees traveling from outside of the island of Oahu are restricted from entering the DOD workplace for 14 days after arrival.

2. Contractor employees with symptoms of fever (≥ 100°), cough, chills, sore throat, shortness of breath/difficulty breathing, new loss of taste or smell, unexplained muscle pain/aches, and/or unusual headache are restricted from entering the DOD workplace.  To enter the DOD workplace, the contractor employee shall be asymptomatic for at least 72 hours, without the use of fever-reducing or other symptom altering medicines (i.e. cough medicine, etc.) AND at least 14 days have passed since symptoms first appeared.  A COVID-19 negative test result will not allow the contractor employee to enter back to the DOD workplace earlier than the 14-day requirement specified above.   

If contractor employee’s healthcare provider reports that the symptoms are due to NON-COVID-19 illness then the contractor employee shall follow the healthcare provider’s instruction to return to work as opposed to the above requirement (14 days passed) to enter the DOD workplace.  A written medical note confirming symptoms are not due to COVID-19 shall be maintained by the contractor employee’s company, and provided to the Government upon request.  The medical note shall state that the symptoms are not due to COVID-19.

3.  Contractor employees who have others living/staying in their house/hotel room that identified as having COVID-19 are restricted from entering the DOD workplace for 14 days. The 14-day period starts from the day the contractor employee learns of the cohabitant’s positive testing for COVID-19.  A COVID-19 negative test result will not allow the contractor employee to enter back to the DOD workplace earlier than the specified 14-day requirement.

4.  Contractor employees testing positive or deemed presumptively positive for COVID-19 by a primary health provider or under the authority of a public health official are restricted from entering the DOD workplace.  Contractor shall immediately notify one of the following Contracting Officers: 

a.  Vivian Fukumitsu, 808-368-0881

b.  Janet Baker, 808-347-8785

c.  Jackie McGlone, 808-368-0147

The contractor shall conduct the contact tracing in coordination with the Contracting Officer, and further coordination with Hawai`i Department of Health.  In addition, contractor shall ensure the impacted DOD workplace is cleaned and disinfected in accordance with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance for the safety of the personnel. 

The Government may require the contractor to provide a list of individuals (both contractor and Government employees) the contractor employee has been in close contact (as defined below) within the past 48 hours prior to their first exhibiting symptoms of fever (≥ 100°), cough, chills, sore throat, shortness of breath/difficulty breathing, new loss of taste or smell, unexplained muscle pain/aches, and/or unusual headache and/or the date of testing positive or determined as presumptively positive for COVID-19, whichever occurred first.  Close contact is defined as someone who:

a. Was within 6 feet of a COVID-19 infected person for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period* starting from 48 hours before illness onset (or, for asymptomatic COVID-19 infected individuals, 48 hours prior to positive specimen collection) until the time the COVID-19 positive person is isolated regardless of whether the individuals were wearing face coverings, and/or  

b. Had direct contact with secretions (being coughed on, sneezed on, kissing, sharing utensils, etc.) from a COVID-19 infected person. 

*Individual exposures added together over a 24-hour period (e.g., three 5-minute exposures for a total of 15 minutes). 

Contractor employee experiencing symptoms of fever (≥ 100°), cough, chills, sore throat, shortness of breath/difficulty breathing, new loss of taste or smell, unexplained muscle pain/aches, and/or unusual headache and tests positive or deemed presumptively positive for COVID-19 shall not enter the DOD workplace until at least 21 days have passed since the date of the contractor employee’s last positive COVID-19 test, AND at least 72 hours (3 days) have passed without the contractor employee experiencing or showing  symptoms of fever (≥ 100°), cough, chills, sore throat, shortness of breath/difficulty breathing, new loss of taste or smell, unexplained muscle pain/aches, and/or unusual headache and without taking any medications (e.g., Tylenol™ for fever, cough medicine, etc.).    

If the contractor employee tests positive, but never develops any symptoms of fever (≥ 100°), cough, chills, sore throat, shortness of breath/difficulty breathing, new loss of taste or smell, unexplained muscle pain/aches, and/or unusual headache, the contractor employee may enter the DOD workplace after 21 days have passed since the date of the contractor employee’s last positive COVID-19 test. The contractor employee does NOT have to be tested negative before entering the DOD workplace after 21 days have passed.  A COVID-19 negative test result will not allow the contractor employee to enter back to the DOD workplace earlier than the 21-day requirement specified above.

Any information related to COVID-19 cases shared by PHNSY with the contractor is not publicly releasable.  

5.  Contractor employees who have been in close contact (as defined below) with any individual(s) identified in criteria #4 above within 48 hours prior to (a) the individual first exhibiting symptoms of fever (≥ 100°), cough, chills, sore throat, shortness of breath/difficulty breathing, new loss of taste or smell, unexplained muscle pain/aches, and/or unusual headache and/or (b) the date the individual tested positive or was determined as presumptively positive for COVID-19, whichever occurred first, are restricted from entering the DOD workplace. Such contractor employees shall not return to the DOD workplace for 14 days from the date of last contact with the COVID-19 positive/presumptive positive test of the employee they came into contact with.  A COVID-19 negative test result will not allow the close contact individual to enter back to the DOD workplace earlier than the 14-day requirement specified above. 

Close contact is defined as someone who:

a. Was within 6 feet of a COVID-19 infected person for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period* starting from 48 hours before illness onset (or, for asymptomatic COVID-19 infected individuals, 48 hours prior to positive specimen collection) until the time the COVID-19 positive person is isolated regardless of whether the individuals were wearing face coverings, and/or  

b. Had direct contact with secretions (being coughed on, sneezed on, kissing, sharing utensils, etc.) from a COVID-19 infected person. 

*Individual exposures added together over a 24-hour period (e.g., three 5-minute exposures for a total of 15 minutes). 

Any information related to COVID-19 cases shared by PHNSY with the contractor is not publicly releasable.  

6.  Contractor employees who are Person Under Investigation (PUI) for COVID-19 (as defined below) are restricted from entering the DOD workplace.  Contractor shall immediately notify the Contracting Office with the number of PUI for COVID-19.   Refer to “DAILY COVID-19 REPORT REQUIREMENT & GUIDELINES” below. 

PUI is defined as an individual: 

1. who has been directed/ordered by a healthcare professional to get tested for COVID-19 or
2. currently being tested for COVID-19 as directed/ordered by a healthcare professional and/or waiting for his/her test results.  

If contractor employee tested negative for COVID-19, but reported experiencing symptoms of fever (≥ 100°), cough, chills, sore throat, shortness of breath/difficulty breathing, new loss of taste or smell, unexplained muscle pain/aches, and/or unusual headache, the contractor employee shall be asymptomatic for at least 72 hours, without the use of fever-reducing or other symptom altering medicines (i.e. cough medicine, etc.) AND at least 14 days have passed since symptoms first appeared to enter DOD workplace. 

If contractor employee tested negative for COVID-19 and had close contact* with a COVID-19 positive/presumptive positive person, the contractor employee shall not return to the DOD workplace for 14 days from the date of last contact with the COVID-19 positive/presumptive positive person they came into contact with.

If a contractor employee is NOT experiencing COVID-19/flu-like symptoms AND has NO KNOWN close contact* with a COVID-19 positive case and is being tested for COVID-19 for other reasons (e.g. employee request, pre-surgery testing, employer’s company-wide/random testing for prevention measure, etc.), the contractor employee is NOT restricted from entering the DOD workplace while awaiting test results. The contractor employee may continue to report to the DOD workplace as normal.  Contractors DO NOT have to report employees as “Person Under Investigation” or “PUI” under this category to the Contracting Office. 

*Close contact is defined as someone who:

a. Was within 6 feet of a COVID-19 infected person for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period** starting from 48 hours before illness onset (or, for asymptomatic COVID-19 infected individuals, 48 hours prior to positive specimen collection) until the time the COVID-19 positive person is isolated regardless of whether the individuals were wearing face coverings, and/or  

b. Had direct contact with secretions (being coughed on, sneezed on, kissing, sharing utensils, etc.) from a COVID-19 infected person. 

**Individual exposures added together over a 24-hour period (e.g., three 5-minute exposures for a total of 15 minutes). 

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RANDOM WELLNESS & TEMPERATURE SCREENINGS

On 13 April 2020, PHNSY will begin executing random wellness and temperature screenings in high-traffic areas to ensure health and safety of all personnel.  The screening is very simple and your full cooperation is expected.  Some important information about the screenings include the following:

• The wellness/temperature screening consists of ONE question and a temperature scan
  • The one question is “Are you experiencing flu-like symptoms?”
  • The thermometer will be held between 1-6 inches from your forehead
  • If your forehead is moist or dirty, you may be asked to wipe it off with a provided paper towel so that an accurate reading can be taken
• The screening uses non-contact infrared thermometers that DO NOT touch you
• Answering “YES” to the one question or having a temperature reading of 100°F or higher will result in a positive screening
• If you have a positive screening, you will be asked to leave the shipyard, and contact your supervisor.  The screener will notify the Contracting Officer immediately of the contractor employee’s positive screening.  The Contracting Officer will contact the company’s point of contact. 
• In accordance with betaSAM.gov notice no. N32253-20-NOTIFICATION-COVID19, contractor employees with symptoms of fever (≥ 100°), cough, chills, sore throat, shortness of breath/difficulty breathing, new loss of taste or smell, unexplained muscle pain/aches, and/or unusual headache are restricted from entering the DOD workplace.  To enter the DOD workplace, the contractor employee shall be asymptomatic for at least 72 hours, without the use of fever-reducing or other symptom altering medicines (i.e. cough medicine, etc.) AND at least 14 days have passed since symptoms first appeared.    A COVID-19 negative test result will not allow the individual to enter back to the DOD workplace earlier than the 14-day requirement specified above.   If contractor employee’s healthcare provider reports that the symptoms are due to NON-COVID-19 illness then the contractor employee shall follow the healthcare provider’s instruction to return to work as opposed to the written above requirement (14 days passed) to enter the DOD workplace.  A written medical note confirming symptoms are not due to COVID-19 shall be maintained by the contractor employee’s company, and provided to the Government upon request.  The medical note shall state that the symptoms are not due to COVID-19. 
• If you have a positive screening, the screener will record your information including company name, CAC/badge number, name, and immediate supervisor name
• Body temperatures greater than 100°F is an indication that the body is fighting a disease. Not all COVID-19 cases have an associated fever. Additionally, a fever can be associated with several other causes to include other medical conditions, severe trauma or injury, and medications.  However, in an effort to protect our workforce, if this screening provides positive indication that an individual’s body temperature exceeds 100°F, contractor employees will be advised to leave the shipyard and to notify their supervisor that they were positively screened.

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CLOTH FACE COVERING REQUIREMENT

PHNSY & IMF is expanding the cloth face covering requirement starting 29 Apr 2020. 

Starting on Wednesday, 29 April 2020, at 12:01 a.m. HST all contractor employees and subcontractor employees in the Controlled Industrial Area (CIA) and/or DOD buildings are required to wear cloth face coverings or commercial disposable masks regardless of the 6 feet of physical (social) distance except as provided in the exceptions listed below.  Contractor employees attempting to enter the CIA and DOD buildings without a mask may be turned away until they retrieve their mask.  Contractor employees found gathering in the CIA and inside DOD buildings without facemasks may be directed to retrieve their masks. 

Cloth face coverings or commercial disposable masks are required onboard ships and submarines unless deviations are specifically authorized for tasks where wearing cloth face coverings is impractical (e.g. work required the use of Personal Protective Equipment such as respirators), and the exceptions below do not apply.  Contractor employees going shipboard without a cloth face covering will be turned away by ship’s force.   Furthermore, all contractor employees are required to wear cloth face coverings or disposable masks outdoors when 6 feet of physical (social) distancing is unlikely or difficult to maintain, except as provided in the exceptions listed below.

The below guidelines shall be followed regarding cloth face coverings:

1. Cloth face covering shall be constructed from multiple layers of fabric, and shall be thick enough that light cannot be easily seen passing through the material, but not restricting breathing.  Refer to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Guidance at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/diy-cloth-face-coverings.html.
2. Cloth face covering shall cover the nose and mouth. 
3. Cloth face covering shall fit snugly against the side of the face, be secured with ties or ear loops, allow for breathing without restriction, and be able to be laundered and machine dried.  They should be comfortable as they may need to be worn for prolonged periods of time. 
4. All cloth face coverings must have a minimum of two layers of tightly woven material, must fit snugly over the bridge of the nose and around the chin/neck area, and must fully cover the mouth and nose to prevent droplets from escaping. Neck gaiters as face coverings are prohibited as they do not contain moisture in exhaled breath (NAVADMIN 266/20).  Further, bandana-type coverings are prohibited because a snug fit over the chin/neck area cannot be achieved.  Both neck gaiters and bandana type coverings are prohibited even if they are made from two layers of cloth material.
5. Cloth face covering shall not be shared. 
6. Cloth face coverings shall be in good taste and not offensive in appearance.
7. Cloth face coverings are not a substitute for any job-specific personal protection equipment.
8. IMPORTANT: Cloth face coverings shall be washed daily. Per CDC guidance, used cloth face coverings should be washed at the end of each day on a gentle cycle and dried at medium heat.  Refer to CDC Guidance at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/diy-cloth-face-coverings.html.
9. IMPORTANT: At the request of security personnel, you shall lower your cloth face covering to verify your identity at base access points, CIA gates, or any other occasion that may require showing your full face for identification purposes.
10. Face masks and coverings with one-way valves embedded in them allow the wearers’ respiratory particulates to escape through the valves, thus defeating the purpose of capturing particulates and droplets when wearers breathe, talk, cough, etc.  For this reason, face masks and coverings of any kind that have one-way valves embedded in them are prohibited for wear in the DOD spaces.

Exceptions:

1. When working alone at your workstation, office or immediate work area.  Facemasks must be donned anytime the contractor employee leaves his/her workspace. 
2. When eating or drinking while maintaining six foot physical (social) distancing between you and others.
3. When smoking in a designated smoking location while maintaining six foot physical (social) distancing between you and others.
4. When work processes necessitate the need for respirators or other breathing equipment.
5. Contractor employees who are instructors and briefers may run training courses and briefings without the use of a cloth face coverings provided contractor instructors and briefers are standing behind a physical barrier (e.g., plexiglass pane, plastic curtain) that separates them from the class or audience. If no physical barrier is available, contractor instructors and briefers may wear face shields in lieu of cloth face coverings if all students attending the class continue to wear cloth face coverings. Physical barriers and face shields will provide sufficient protection for instructors and students while allowing instructors to deliver necessary information without being muffled by cloth face coverings.  Physical distancing of 6 feet will be maintained to the maximum extent possible at all times. 
6. Because of the challenges of properly wearing cloth face coverings when speaking and working in warm/hot temperatures and/or high background noise where clear, loud projection of voice is needed, face shields may be worn in lieu of cloth face coverings in the following specif ic cases where wearers must minimize the duration when maintaining at least 6 feet of distance with others, e.g., passing items, supporting installation or removal of items, etc., is not practicable (Note: cloth face coverings are always required when onboard ships and submarines):

               (a) When working outdoors such as crane teamwork, building staging, forkliftoperations, emergency response or other command and control type environments where efficient, clear communication is needed for safety and efficiency of response.

              (b) When operating a forklift during work that requires the operator to repeatedly ingress and egress between the interior and exterior of a building where physical distancing can be maintained by the forklift operator.

            7.  CDC does not recommend use of face shields for normal everyday activities or as a substitute for cloth face coverings.” As such, the use of face shields in lieu of cloth face coverings as a routine should be kept to a minimum, especially when other physical distancing measures are difficult to maintain.  Face shields must provide a good seal to the forehead area, extend below the chin and wrap around the sides of the face. Face shields will not be shared among employees. 

8.  When transiting to and from personal vehicles while outside of the Controlled Industrial Area (CIA) and when physical distancing is maintained.  (Cloth face coverings must be worn inside the CIA).  

As a reminder, cloth face coverings DO NOT replace all the other actions required to minimize the spread of COVID-19.  We recommend that contractor employees practice physical (social) distancing to the fullest extent possible (6 feet or more between individuals) EVEN WHEN wearing cloth face coverings.  Additionally, we recommend that contractor employees wash their hands frequently throughout the day and avoid touching their face.  Furthermore, contractor employees may utilize the daily self-screening every day prior to entering DOD workplace.   Refer to attachment.

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DAILY COVID-19 REPORT REQUIREMENT & GUIDELINES

Implementation of the daily COVID-19 report requirement and guidelines below will begin 13 April 2020.  This requirement is only for contractors with contractor employees who access DOD workplace and/or PHNSY employees who access the contractor’s facility.  Prime contractors shall report the following information for all contractor personnel (including subcontractor personnel): 

1.  Total number of Persons Under Investigation (PUI) for COVID-19.  Refer below for definition. 

2.  Total number of Positive COVID-19 Cases.  Refer below for definition.   Further breakdown of the following information to be provided for the Positive COVID-19 Cases:   

                  a. Number of Positive Cases in Home Isolation

                   b.  Number of Positive Cases in Hospital

                   c.  Number of Positive Cases Recovering Post-Hospitalization

                    d.  Number of Deaths

The required report shall be submitted DAILY via email to the PHNSY personnel listed below NO LATER THAN 1300 hrs HST.  If all numbers are 0 then report is not required.    

A PUI for COVID-19 is defined as an individual: 

1. who has been directed/ordered by a healthcare professional to get tested for COVID-19 or
2. currently being tested for COVID-19 as directed/ordered by a healthcare professional and/or waiting for his/her test results.   

If a contractor employee is NOT experiencing COVID-19/flu-like symptoms AND has NO KNOWN close contact with a COVID-19 positive case and is being tested for COVID-19 for other reasons (e.g. employee request, pre-surgery testing, employer’s company-wide/random testing for prevention measure, etc.), the Contractors DO NOT have to report employees as “Person Under Investigation” or “PUI” under this category to the Contracting Officer. 

Close contact is defined as someone who:

a. Was within 6 feet of a COVID-19 infected person for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period* starting from 48 hours before illness onset (or, for asymptomatic COVID-19 infected individuals, 48 hours prior to positive specimen collection) until the time the COVID-19 positive person is isolated regardless of whether the individuals were wearing face coverings, and/or  

b. Had direct contact with secretions (being coughed on, sneezed on, kissing, sharing utensils, etc.) from a COVID-19 infected person. 

*Individual exposures added together over a 24-hour period (e.g., three 5-minute exposures for a total of 15 minutes). 

A Number of Positive COVID-19 case is defined as an individual testing positive or deemed presumptively positive for COVID-19 by a primary health provider or under the authority of a public health official.  A presumptive positive result is when a patient has tested positive by a public health laboratory, but results are pending confirmation at CDC.  For public health purposes, a presumptive positive result using the CDC test is treated as a positive.

Please email the Daily COVID-19 Report to the following PHNSY personnel*: 

Luz Thibeau - luz.thibeau@navy.mil

Beverly Quevedo - beverly.a.quevedo@navy.mil

Vivian Fukumitsu - vivian.fukumitsu@navy.mil

*Companies with contracts and/or delivery orders supporting the Hawaii Regional Maintenance Center (HRMC) shall additionally include the following PHNSY personnel to the email distribution:

William Havens - william.havens@navy.mil

CAPT Daniel Kidd - daniel.c.kidd1@navy.mil

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Questions and Answers

1.  Please confirm whether the base access restrictions (Criteria No. 1) for those who have been off-island are retroactive or starting on the effective date of 20 March 2020. 

Answer:  The criteria restricting access to DOD workplace are retroactive. 

2.  According to CDC per the link https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/map-and-travel-notices.html, United States is a THN Level 2 Country.  Please confirm. 

Answer:  CDC does not issue travel advisories within the United States per https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/travel-in-the-us.html.  Therefore, United States is not a THN Level 2 Country. 

3.   Another request for clarification in regards to the notice sent this morning regarding base restrictions:

     a.  Applicability Effective Date (ED) of the memo related to travel or other circumstances that occurred.

Answer:  The criteria restricting access to DOD workplace are retroactive. 

 This notice may be amended, updated, and cancelled at any time and without prior notice to conform with the evolving national, state and local requirements.