Dear Shipbuilders,

Newport News Shipbuilding is currently reporting 410 active COVID-19 cases, and the Hampton Roads region is experiencing a 47-50% positivity rate. Medical experts anticipate that COVID-19 cases will continue to rise through the end of February.

To help keep our shipbuilders safe, temporary changes are being made to the following policies:

NNS Mask Policy – Effective immediately and until Feb. 1:

• Indoors –
  • Masks must be worn in indoor settings, including all covered facilities, vehicles and while in transit.
  • Employees may remove their masks when the employee is alone.
  • This policy applies to all employees, regardless of vaccination status and the ability to social distance.
• Outdoors –
  • Unvaccinated personnel must continue to wear masks unless social distancing is possible.

• Commissioned Navy Ships –
  • Masks must be worn on commissioned Navy ships.

All employees may remove their masks in the following instances at NNS:

• When requested by Security for identity verification.
• When wearing NNS-approved respirators to perform your job.
• When performing hot work.
• When eating, while maintaining social distance.
• When drinking for brief periods to stay hydrated during a shift.

NNS Meeting Policy – Effective immediately and until Feb. 1:

• WebEx meetings are to be held instead of in-person meetings.
• In cases when in-person, indoor meetings are absolutely required, masks must be worn by all participants, including the presenter.

These updates supersede all other mask and meeting guidance and will be reassessed Feb.1 based on case rate data. If we all work together, these actions will go a long way toward helping stop the spread of COVID-19 and protecting our shipbuilders.

Respectfully,
NNS Crisis Action Group