CORDOVA, Ill. — Exelon confirmed that there is a COVID-19 case among their workforce.
Workers at the nuclear power plant in Cordova, Illinois who have had contact with the affected employee have been notified, according to a statement from Exelon's communication manager Bill Stoermer.
Parts of the plant are also undergoing additional deep cleaning measures.
The company said all of its employees must pass a symptom screening and body temperature check before starting their shift.
"We’re also requiring social distancing, remote work where possible, frequent hand washing, and increased facility cleaning and disinfection," said Stoermer
Here's the full statement from Bill Stoermer, Quad Cities Station Communication Manager
"We can confirm that we have a case of COVID-19 among our workforce. They are receiving care, and we are thinking about our colleagues and wishing them a quick recovery.
"The health and safety of our employees and contractors, and limiting the spread of the virus, are our utmost priorities, and we have strict protocols in place to address any case as it occurs. Any employees who came in close contact with the affected person or work at that reporting location have been notified, and we performed an additional deep cleaning of all areas that have potentially been exposed. We are maximizing social distancing for those who must continue to report to their locations.
"As a provider of critical resources, Exelon maintains robust plans and contingencies to ensure business and operational continuity when confronted with potentially disruptive events, including major public health crises. We have extensive preparedness measures in place to ensure customers continue to have reliable energy services during this pandemic.
"Exelon Generation’s clean and reliable power is vital to the region’s hospitals and health care facilities; federal, state and local response centers and over a million homes and essential businesses as they respond to the COVID -19 pandemic and the station’s spring refueling outage is critical to ensuring that power will continue to be available to the region as the weather becomes warmer and electricity demand increases.
"We have strict procedures in place to keep the public, our employees and contractors safe during the outage, and we will continue to share updates with federal, state and county officials.
"As part of our comprehensive COVID-19 safety precautions, all workers must pass a symptom screening and body temperature check prior to entry every shift. We’re also requiring social distancing, remote work where possible, frequent hand washing, and increased facility cleaning and disinfection."