Hanford orders new COVID-19 vaccination requirements
Sep 1, 2021, 7:21 AM
The Plutonium Finishing Plant on the Hanford Nuclear Reservation near Richland, Wash. The plant was involved in producing much of the plutonium for the nation's nuclear arsenal. (AP Photo/Nicholas K. Geranios)
(AP Photo/Nicholas K. Geranios)
There’s a new COVID vaccination policy at the Hanford nuclear reservation in Eastern Washington.
If Hanford workers do not provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination, they’ll be required to be tested at least weekly in order to be allowed on site.
The policy will cover about 11,000 Department of Energy, contractor and subcontractor workers.
Also under the new policy, visitors with business at Hanford must provide proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test from within the last three days to enter any building.
Signs of another nuclear waste storage tank leaking at Hanford
The requirements follow President Joe Biden’s mandate that all workers for the federal government and its contractors must be vaccinated or tested one to two times a week.
As of Aug. 30, the Washington State Department of Health reports that 73.3% of the eligible population (ages 12+) in the state had received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. In Benton County, where Hanford is located, 50.6% of those 12 and up are fully vaccinated.
Find a location to get vaccinated here.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 203 million people in the US have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. About 52% of the population, or 172 million people, are fully vaccinated, as of Aug. 26.
The KIRO Radio Newsdesk contributed to this report.
Follow @http://twitter.com/Mynorthwest
