COVID-19 Update

As part of NIOSH’s efforts to keep our stakeholders up to date on the CDC and NIOSH COVID-19 response, below is a summary of new information posted this week.

Industry Specific Resources  New Checklist for Agricultural Employers  CDC has published an Agricultural Employer Checklist for Creating a COVID-19 Assessment and Control Plan. To prevent and slow the spread of COVID-19, agricultural employers can use this checklist to create a COVID-19 assessment and control plan for applying specific preparation, prevention, and management measures. This checklist has been developed based on the Agriculture Workers and Employers Interim Guidance from CDC and the U.S. Department of Labor. New Translations for Meat and Poultry Processing Resources CDC has translated two quick reference guides for meat and poultry processing facilities: Key Strategies for Employers and Tips for Employees. Now available in 13 languages, these guides provide recommendations and strategies for preventing COVID-19 in meat and poultry facilities. These printable one-page flyers may be found on the Meat and Poultry Processing Facility Toolkit webpage. Guidance From Our Partners   OSHA Releases Guidance to Assist Employers With Reopening Businesses    The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued guidance to assist employers reopening nonessential businesses and their employees returning to work during the evolving coronavirus pandemic. During each phase of the reopening process, OSHA recommends that employers should continue to focus on strategies for basic hygiene, social distancing, identification and isolation of sick employees, workplace controls and flexibilities, and employee training. Upcoming Webinars June 23, 2–3 p.m. (EDT): Best Safety and Hygiene Practices for Public Workspaces in the COVID-19 Environment  A panel will present challenges and solutions for safely operating workplaces with a public interaction component during the COVID-19 pandemic. Learn more and register for the webinar here.   June 24, 12–1 p.m. (EDT): Resuming Business Guidance & Behavioral Health Considerations in the COVID-19 Environment A panel will present cross-sector business guidance, resuming business resources, and essential worker behavioral health impacts in the COVID-19 environment. No registration is required. Connect to the webinar here, or call 1-800-952-6697. June 24, 1–2 p.m. (EDT): Guidance for Reopening and Maintaining Safe Gym and Fitness Center Operations Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic An expert panel will present guidance for reopening and maintaining safe operations across a broad range of fitness center venues, from small gyms to medical fitness centers. Learn more and register for the webinar here . June 25, 12–1 p.m. (EDT): Reopening America: Return to the Workplace Safely with Total Worker Health® A panel will present the most up-to-date science, strategies, and recommendations for returning to work safely as organizations meet the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Learn more and register for the webinar here. Request for White Papers   CDC Broad Agency Announcement: Developing Strategies for Protection, Prevention & Control in Communities (75D301-20-R-68024) CDC issued a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) for applied research to address the COVID-19 continued public health emergency. CDC is requesting white papers for the following six areas: strategies for protection and monitoring of worker health; strategies to reduce spread in communities; protections for COVID-19 vulnerable populations in high risk congregate settings such as long-term care, nursing homes, and correctional facilities; natural history of SARS-CoV-2 infection; environmental controls; and genomic sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 to investigate the evolution, emergence, and spread of infections in communities and populations. The deadline to submit white papers is 3 p.m. (EDT) on June 24. For more information and to apply, go to the announcement webpage or email COVID19BAA@cdc.gov. For More Information For more information, please visit the COVID-19 webpage. To stay up to date on new developments, sign up for the COVID-19 newsletter.