Update – 29 June 2021

In response to the most updated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the following updates have been made to Grounded’s Covid-19 Emergency Response plan

• Staff and partners who have not received a Covid-19 vaccine are required to wear face coverings when visiting the Grounded office and/or attending Grounded programming at other locations.
• When engaging with Grounded staff, visiting the Grounded office, and attending Grounded programming, fully vaccinated persons can:
• Resume activities without wearing masks or physically distancing, except where required by federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial laws, rules, and regulations, including local business and workplace guidance

For now, fully vaccinated persons are encouraged to continue:

• Get tested if experiencing COVID-19 symptoms
• Follow CDC and health department travel requirements and recommendations

• Staff who are fully vaccinated can:

• Resume activities without wearing masks or physically distancing, except where required by federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial laws, rules and regulations, including local business and workplace guidance
• Resume domestic travel and refrain from testing before or after travel or self-quarantine after travel
• Refrain from testing before leaving the United States for international travel (unless required by the destination) and refrain from self-quarantine after arriving back in the United States
• Refrain from testing following a known exposure, if asymptomatic, with some exceptions for specific settings
• Refrain from quarantine following a known exposure if asymptomatic
• Refrain from routine screening testing if feasible

 

For now, fully vaccinated staff should continue to:

• Get tested if experiencing COVID-19 symptoms
• Follow CDC and health department travel requirements and recommendations

Update – 8 May 2020

Grounded Strategies Workplace Controls for COVID-19

• The Grounded office will be closed to external visitors through June 4, 2020.
• Grounded will keep our staff, program participants, community partners, and clients well-informed of Grounded’s COVID-19 risk mitigation activities using our established communication channels.
• Grounded will limit project site access for on-site workdays to include Grounded staff members and contractors. Before any in-person meeting with contractors, the staff is encouraged to politely inquire if any of the contractors have been to an impacted area within the past 14 days or have come into contact with anyone who has the coronavirus.
• Grounded staff will cancel/reschedule/transition to conference calls any upcoming public community events, large partner meetings, Grounded program participant meetings, and on-site volunteer days currently scheduled to occur through June 4, 2020. Cancelation should be the last resort.
• All Grounded staff should work remotely from home through June 4, 2020, with limited exceptions for picking up materials and equipment.
• All currently scheduled internal meetings should take place as currently scheduled using video chat or conference call.
• Grounded will ensure the frequent cleaning, disinfection, and sanitization of surfaces, equipment, and other elements of the office work environment over the coming weeks.

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Update – 31 March 2020

Grounded Strategies Workplace Controls for COVID-19

• The Grounded office will be closed to external visitors through April 30, 2020.
• Grounded will keep our staff, program participants, community partners, and clients well-informed of Grounded’s COVID-19 risk mitigation activities using our established communication channels.
• Grounded will limit project site access for on-site workdays to include Grounded staff members and contractors. Before any in-person meeting with contractors, the staff is encouraged to politely inquire if any of the contractors have been to an impacted area within the past 14 days or have come into contact with anyone who has the coronavirus.
• Grounded staff will cancel/reschedule/transition to conference calls any upcoming public community events, large partner meetings, Grounded program participant meetings, and on-site volunteer days currently scheduled to occur through April 30, 2020. Cancelation should be the last resort.
• All Grounded staff should work remotely from home through April 30, 2020, with limited exceptions for picking up materials and equipment.
• All currently scheduled internal meetings should take place as currently scheduled using video chat or conference call.
• Grounded will ensure the frequent cleaning, disinfection, and sanitization of surfaces, equipment, and other elements of the office work environment over the coming weeks.

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Update – 18 March 2020

Grounded Strategies Workplace Controls for COVID-19

• The Grounded office will be closed to external visitors through March 31, 2020.
• Grounded will keep our staff, program participants, community partners, and clients well-informed of Grounded’s COVID-19 risk mitigation activities using our established communication channels.
• Grounded will limit project site access for on-site workdays to include Grounded staff members and contractors. Before any in-person meeting with contractors, the staff is encouraged to politely inquire if any of the contractors have been to an impacted area within the past 14 days or have come into contact with anyone who has the coronavirus.
• Grounded staff will cancel/reschedule/transition to conference call any upcoming public community events, large partner meetings, Grounded program participant meetings, and on-site volunteer days currently scheduled to occur through March 31, 2020. Cancelation will be the last resort.
• All currently scheduled internal meetings will take place as currently scheduled using telecommunications.
• Grounded will create and execute a special plan to increase the frequency of the cleaning, disinfection, and sanitization of surfaces, equipment, and other elements of the office work environment over the coming weeks.

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13 March 2020

Dear friends, partners, and supporters,

In light of the current public health situation, Grounded Strategies has decided to institute a COVID-19 Organizational Response Plan.

Grounded’s primary aim is to protect our staff and community partners while playing our part to reduce the infection rate in our region.

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a respiratory disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. It has spread from China to many other countries around the world, including the United States. Depending on the severity of COVID-19’s international impacts, outbreak conditions—including those rising to the level of a pandemic—can affect all aspects of daily life, including travel, trade, tourism, food supplies, and financial markets.

The plan puts into place recommended procedures meant to reduce the impact of COVID-19 outbreak conditions on Grounded, our employees, partners, program participants, and the general public. This guidance is based on information provided by the U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration within document OSHA 3990-03 2020, Guidance on Preparing Workplaces for COVID-19.

Plan Objectives

• Reduce transmission among staff, community partners, program participants, and the public.
• Protect people who are at higher risk of adverse health complications.
• Maintain business operations.

Symptoms of COVID-19

• Fever
• Cough
• Shortness of breath

Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure.

How COVID-19 Spreads

• The virus is thought to spread mainly from person-to-person between people who are in close contact with one another (within about 6 feet).
• Respiratory droplets are produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes. These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs.
• People are thought to be most contagious when they are most symptomatic (the sickest).
• Some spread might be possible before people show symptoms; there have been reports of this occurring with this new coronavirus, but this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads.
• It may be possible that a person can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes, but this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads.

Grounded Strategies Workplace Controls for COVID-19

• Grounded will keep our staff, program participants, community partners, and clients well-informed of Grounded’s COVID-19 risk mitigation activities using our established communication channels.
• Grounded will limit project site access for on-site workdays to include Grounded staff members and contractors. Before any in-person meeting with contractors, the staff is encouraged to politely inquire if any of the contractors have been to an impacted area within the past 14 days or have come into contact with anyone who has the coronavirus.
• Grounded staff will cancel/reschedule/transition to conference call any upcoming public community events, large partner meetings, Grounded program participant meetings, and on-site volunteer days currently scheduled to occur through March 31, 2020. Cancelation will be the last resort.
• All staff members have been instructed to create a profile on www.freeconferencecall.com as an easy and free way to host calls with external partners.
• All currently scheduled internal meetings will take place as currently scheduled.
• Grounded will create and execute a special plan to increase the frequency of the cleaning, disinfection, and sanitization of surfaces, equipment, and other elements of the office work environment over the coming weeks.

If you have any questions or concerns about this policy, please do not hesitate to reach out to us by email ([email protected]) or phone (412-361-2099).

 

Sending my very best,

 

Ariam Ford, Executive Director