NW Works will be posting updates to this page as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. Please check this page for all official updates.
As of June 8, 2022:
NW Works, Inc. no longer requires masking upon entry to our facility or in provided transportation. Off-site locations (such as government facilities) are subject to the site-specific requirements. NW Works will provide surgical masks to those who want them. We ask all visitors to be respectful of staff and service recipients’ individual choices when it comes to masking.
Temperature screenings are still required for all people entering our facility. Anyone experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 is asked to stay home.
If staff or program participants test positive for COVID-19, NW Works requires those individuals to quarantine for 5 days, as recommended by the CDC. If symptoms should appear after a positive test result, the 5-day counter resets to the first day of symptoms. After day 5, the individual may return to NW Works but must wear a mask for an additional 5 days.
Per guidance from the Centers for Disease Control, NW Works still encourages maintaining social distancing for those who are unvaccinated. While vaccinations are encouraged for all members of the community, NW Works does not require vaccination against COVID-19.
We partner with AtmosAir Solutions to ensure the air in our building is as clean as possible. The system, which is able to remove a majority of coronavirus particles from the air, has been shown to reduce viral and bacterial contaminants, as well as reduce dust and mold within a building.
In addition, our team disinfects the entirety of our building weekly using an electrostatic sprayer. This, on top of our daily custodial work, helps to ensure that high-touch spaces in our facility remain clean and safe for all who enter our building.
COVID-19 Baseline Information
As the COVID-19 situation continues to evolve, underscored by the pandemic declaration from the World Health Organization (WHO), we recognize the important role we play in addressing this public health issue. According to the Centers for Disease Control, the “novel (new) coronavirus was first detected in China and which has now been detected in more than 100 locations internationally, including in the United States. The virus has been named “SARS-CoV-2” and the disease it causes has been named “coronavirus disease 2019” (abbreviated “COVID-19”).”
Our leadership team has take important steps to support the health and well-being of our service recipients and our staff. This is a good opportunity to review the preventive measures that NW Works has and continues to take to reduce the transmission of colds, flu, and other infectious diseases in the workplace. The best strategy remains the most obvious—frequent hand washing with warm, soapy water; staying hydrated; covering your mouth when you sneeze or cough; and discarding used tissues in wastebaskets.
WHAT ARE WE DOING?
Currently we are ramping up our cleaning processes to meet the flu season and other health concerns that have come into the region. In addition to our standard cleaning routine, our janitorial team are cleaning and disinfecting common touch areas 3 times a day, such as counter-tops and door handles; cleaning and disinfecting mid-common touch areas 2 times a day, such as walls and windows; and cleaning uncommon touch areas once a day, such as floors and warehouse items.
We are also providing bottled water, tissues, paper towels, disinfectant surface wipes, hand wipes and hand sanitizers to five locations throughout the building (front lobby, main conference room, computer lab, conference room 2, and the staff break room). Another preventive measure is to wash your hands (20 seconds each time) several times a day. We are asking all staff to wipe their offices/desk areas two times a day with disinfectant wipes.
We advise all employees to stay home if they are sick until at least 24 hours after their fever* (temperature of 100 degrees Fahrenheit or 37.8 degrees Celsius or higher) is gone without the use of fever-reducing medicines.