In Chile, the start of the COVID 19 pandemic was in March 2020. Considering the possible impact on the health of our collaborators and visitors that this pandemic could have, the Las Campanas Observatory closed its operations on March 18 of this year. Since then, multiple efforts have been made to contain the spread of the virus among our staff. Today we have a complete set of protocols and health surveys that help us to have a global vision of the virus situation for the security of our work teams.
Considering a possible reopening of the observatory, we have prepared a protocol with indicators and actions organized in phases that go from A to E, increasing the degree of opening of operations. These phases or stages of opening are indicated below. Given the level of uncertainty in the progression of the pandemic, we note that these stages are subject to change, which we will announce as time passes.
The preparation and modification of this document is the responsibility of the ad hoc Reopening Committee, appointed by the Director. While this committee suggests the feasibility of a change in phases, the Director has the responsibility and the sole authority to approve or not any phase transitions.
Phase A*: ‘Paso-a-Paso’ quarantine
- Maintain protocols.
- Essential operations personnel (El Pino [1 permanently present shared role amongst the Auxiliary services team] y Mountain [6 present on site each operating shift]).
- Restrict permission for any technical site visits only in cases of emergency (exceptional situations with the authorization of the Director).
- On site presence of personnel from security company Securitas.
- Nightly security rounds at El Pino facilities (external)
- Only local team members from our essential personnel: this implies no use of public transport with personnel arriving to El Pino in private vehicles.
- On site presence of group leaders only in emergency cases.
- Maximize Work From Home assignments wherever possible.
- On site work only for defined essential personnel.
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Phase A: ‘Paso-a-Paso’ Transition
- Establish and Maintain Protocols.
- Basic daily operations personnel (El Pino and Mountain).
- Restrict permission for only urgent technical visits and limited to daytime (no overnight) (exceptional situations with the authorization of the Director).
- Access to contracted services (daytime).
- On site presence of personnel from security company Securtias.
- Nightly security rounds at El Pino facilities (external)
- Only local team members from our personnel: this implies no use of public transport with personnel arriving to El Pino in private vehicles.
- Staff with identified medical conditions in an at risk category restricted to work from home mode without medical certification.
- On site presence of group leaders when necessary limiting extended contact with group members.
- Maximize Work From Home assignments wherever possible.
- Minimize on site work only as essential or when not possible in a work from home mode.
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Without further restrictions, it should be possible to freely move between phases A and B.
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Phase B: ‘Paso-a-Paso’ Transition and/or Preparation
- Augment staff presence at the mountain by one additional member of the technical group in order to prepare instrumentation in advance of a return to nocturnal operations.
- Establish and Maintain Protocols.
- Basic daily operations personnel (El Pino and Mountain).
- Restrict permission for only urgent technical visits and limited to daytime (no overnight) (exceptional situations with the authorization of the Director).
- Initiate operations of robotic facilities that do not require technical site visit.
- Reduced transport schedule with limitations of exposure of personnel to within the same turno (exceptions only following 14 days off site). For logistical and sanitary reasons, strict restriction of personnel transfers to and from site on days and/or times other than their nominal shift change.
- Access to contracted services (daytime).
- On site presence of personnel from security company Securtias.
- Nightly security rounds at El Pino facilities (external)
- Only local team members from our personnel: this implies no use of public transport with personnel arriving to El Pino in private vehicles.
- On site presence of group leaders when necessary limiting extended contact with group members.
- Staff with identified medical conditions in the at risk category restricted to work from home mode without medical certification.
- Maximize Work From Home assignments wherever possible.
- Minimize on site work only as essential or when not possible in a work from home mode.
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Without further restrictions, it should be possible to freely move between phases B and C1.
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Phase C1: ‘Paso-a-Paso’ Transition and/or Preparation
- Maintain Protocols.
- Return to nocturnal operations in an incremental manner with minimal required staffing (12+) on the mountain. Additional presence of up to 2 persons from APOGEE group and 1 Support Astronomer at Magellan.
- Begin with engineering at Clay Telescope and instruments to assure operational state.
- Isolation between turnos on the mountain to prevent cross-contamination wherever possible.
- Reduced transport schedule with limitations of exposure of personnel to within the same turno (exceptions only following 14 days off site). For logistical and sanitary reasons, strict restriction of personnel transfers to and from site on days and/or times other than their nominal shift change.
- Only local team members from our personnel: this implies no use of public transport with personnel arriving to El Pino in private vehicles.
- On site presence of group leaders when necessary limiting extended contact with group members.
- Staff with identified medical conditions in the at risk category restricted to work from home mode without medical certification.
- Remote Observations mode: Support Astronomers: 1 person at Magellan on each turno; Remote Control Room established in room 5 El Pino
- Restrict permission for only urgent technical visits and limited to daytime (no overnight) (exceptional situations with the authorization of the Director).
- Access to contracted services (daytime).
- Nightly security rounds at El Pino facilities (external)
- Maximize Work From Home assignments wherever possible.
- Minimize on site work only as essential or when not possible in a work from home mode.
- Allow nocturnal operations of robotic facilities that do not require any on site personnel to recover operational state.
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The decision to advance to the next phase will follow the official indicators as defined in the government's ‘Paso-a-Paso’ plans. These indicators along with analysis of present conditions in the regions that our staff live and within which the observatory operates will be shared with all staff when an anticipated change of phase is to occur.
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Phase C2: ‘Paso-a-Paso’ Initial Opening
- Maintain Protocols.
- Begin engineering at telescopes and instruments to assure operational state.
- Return to nocturnal operations (Magellan 1+2, duPont) with minimal required staffing (~18) on the mountain. Additional presence of up to 2 persons from APOGEE group and 1 Support Astronomer at Magellan.
- Isolation between turnos on the mountain to prevent cross-contamination wherever possible.
- Reduced transport schedule with limitations of exposure of personnel to within the same turno (exceptions only following 14 days off site). For logistical and sanitary reasons, strict restriction of personnel transfers to and from site on days and/or times other than their nominal shift change.
- Only local team members from our personnel: this implies no use of public transport with personnel arriving to El Pino in private vehicles.
- On site presence of group leaders when necessary limiting extended contact with group members.
- Staff with identified medical conditions in the at risk category restricted to work from home mode without medical certification.
- Remote Observations mode: Support Astronomers: 1 person at Magellan on each turno; Remote Control Room established in room 5 El Pino
- Restrict permission for only urgent technical visits and limited to daytime (no overnight) (exceptional situations with the authorization of the Director).
- Initiate operations of robotic facilities requiring technical site visit (personnel from the region coordinated within a given turno).
- Access to contracted services (daytime).
- Nightly security rounds at El Pino facilities (external)
- Maximize Work From Home assignments wherever possible.
- Minimize on site work only as essential or when not possible in a work from home mode.
- Continue diurnal/nocturnal operations of robotic facilities that do not require any on site personnel to recover operational state.
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The decision to advance to the next phase will follow the official indicators as defined in the government's ‘Paso-a-Paso’ plans. These indicators along with analysis of present conditions in the regions that our staff live and within which the observatory operates will be shared with all staff when an anticipated change of phase is to occur.
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Phase D: ‘Paso-a-Paso’ Advance Opening
- Modify and Maintain Protocols.
- Remove restrictions on staff medical conditions.
- Public transport from regions permitted.
- Observatory transport schedules return to normal.
- Observations in both remote and on site possible.
- External contractors permitted on site (overnight i.e. construction projects)
- Regular contracted services access.
- Visitors will be considered on a case-by-case basis (exceptional situations with the authorization of the Director).
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The decision to advance to the next phase will follow the official indicators as defined in the government's ‘Paso-a-Paso’ plans. These indicators along with analysis of present conditions in the regions that our staff live and within which the observatory operates will be shared with all staff when an anticipated change of phase is to occur.
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Pase E: new ‘normal’
- International conditions considered normalized in terms of pandemic.
- Remote Operations will be offered in restricted formats from host institutions.