Chief Procurement Officer Message on Health and Safety Precautions for COVID-19

Thank you for all you do for DHS! As the Chief Procurement Officer, I am reaching out to all contractors who have employees working in DHS facilities. I want to make sure you are aware of the current health and safety precautions for novel Coronavirus, called COVID-19.

With the global situation evolving rapidly, and so many sources of information vying for your attention, you may have questions. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) COVID-19 website remains the authoritative source for facts about how to protect yourself and your family from the virus, and how to recognize symptoms of the virus. The site is frequently updated with virus guidance and provides updated travel advisories. It is prudent to, review the CDC travel advisory website before traveling.

If your employees must travel to affected areas, please have them contact you prior to their return to discuss possible telework or leave options. Please advise your employees to contact you immediately if they have been in close contact with a person known to have COVID-19, or if they went through airport screening upon their return to the United States and were told to self-observe or self-quarantine. If your employee experiences any symptoms while traveling, please have them report to the local public health department and you.

If your employees are feeling sick with influenza-like symptoms (cough, fever, difficulty breathing), whether at home or while traveling, please have them contact their supervisor to discuss options to stay home for the duration of their symptoms. Please engage with your employees as soon as possible to discuss options or any specific concerns they may have.

If contract performance is affected due to the COVID-19 situation, such as the need for alternate work locations, or travel or schedule changes, the contracting officer is the authority to discuss this with your company. We appreciate your continued support of the DHS mission. As we confront COVID-19 together, keeping these common-sense suggestions in mind can help make all of us safer.