For Immediate Release: February 28, 2020

SMUD suspending all non-critical employee travel due to coronavirus concerns

Travel restriction will be in effect immediately through the end of March

In light of heightened concerns about the flu/Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) contagion, SMUD announced today it is suspending all non-critical travel by SMUD employees through the end of March. The restrictions are being implemented to limit the number of employees that may be exposed to COVID-19 at airports, conferences and non-essential business meetings.

Additionally, no international travel will be allowed to countries designated by the federal Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Level 3 (China and South Korea) and Level 2 countries (Italy, Iran and Japan).

SMUD defines critical training and/or business necessity as training for compliance, needed certifications, critical contract and/or equipment purchases, and/or employee equipment/process training needs.  

SMUD realizes that the COVID-19 situation is continually evolving, so approved travel locations would be dependent on current CDC alert levels within the states. SMUD is recommending electronic training options whenever possible. SMUD will readdress the restrictions after 30 days or on an as-needed basis based on CDC recommendations. 

Furthermore, SMUD is following Sacramento County Public Health’s recommendation that any employees who may have been exposed to the virus be asked to self-quarantine and stay home from work for 14 days.

SMUD has always been vigilant in maintaining a safe work environment. SMUD has been proactively monitoring the coronavirus since the outbreak began in China, and SMUD has taken proactive measures, out of an abundance of caution, including additional cleaning of our facilities, maintaining a supply of N-95 masks and disposable gloves, should the situation worsen.

SMUD continues to advise employees to follow normal processes to prevent the spread of flu-like and other contagious diseases, and stay home if they are not well.

SMUD always takes additional proactive measures during flu season to reduce risks to our employees, and our custodial contractor has been doing additional cleaning of our facilities and will continue to do so out of an abundance of caution, while coronavirus remains a global concern.