Site Decommissioned – Stennis Space Center

In accordance with recent updates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and guidance from NASA HQ and the Safer Federal Workforce, the COVID-19 policy includes the following changes for NASA SSC, effective immediately. Contractor personnel should follow their company/agency guidance.

If you test positive for COVID-19 or exhibit COVID-like symptoms, contact your supervisor to determine your isolation requirements following the CDC guidance (Isolation and Precautions for People with COVID-19). Supervisors do not need to contact the SSC Clinic for Return to On-Site Work (RTOW) clearance as there is no longer a requirement to process SSC Form 602 (Medical Clearance) to be cleared to return to on-site work. NASA SSC will no longer perform contact tracing through the SSC Clinic. Individual resident entities may elect to continue contact tracing.
Per current CDC guidance, individuals are no longer required to quarantine after a COVID-19 exposure, regardless of vaccination status or recent COVID illness, if they remain asymptomatic and do not test positive for COVID-19. Asymptomatic individuals will follow the CDC guidance if exposed to COVID-19 (What to Do If You Were Exposed to COVID-19 | CDC). Individuals shall:
1. Wear a mask for 10 days after exposure to a COVID positive case.
2. Monitor for symptoms for 10 days. If you exhibit COVID-like symptoms, contact your supervisor and isolate per CDC guidance (Isolation and Precautions for People with COVID-19).
3. Get tested for COVID on day 6after exposure. Please note, every household in the US is now eligible to receive a third set of eight test kits free of charge. Go to http://www.covidtests.gov/ .
  1. If you test positive, notify your supervisor and isolate per CDC guidance (Isolation and Precautions for People with COVID-19).
  2. If you test negative, you may test again in 48 hours. If the second test is negative, you may remove your mask prior to the 10 days.

NASA will discontinue COVID-19 screening testing programs tied to vaccination status, regardless of community levels.  Testing is no longer required for unvaccinated employees, contractors, and visitors coming on center.  Testing will continue where it is required for operational reasons (such as work that is mission critical).
At this time, NASA will not require employees, on-site contractor employees, or visitors to provide information about their COVID-19 vaccination status via the Certification of Vaccination form, regardless of community levels.

As of May 15, 2022, Stennis Space Center exited Stage 1 of the NASA Framework for Return to On Site Work. The Center will continue to respond to COVID-19 by adhering to guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force. The CDC’s COVID-19 County Check will be monitored regularly for the latest status of Hancock County and the surrounding communities.

As an important reminder, employees exhibiting flu, cold, and/or COVID-like symptoms (such as cough, shortness of breath/difficulty breathing, fever over 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit, chills, muscle/body aches, sore throat, loss of taste/smell, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, fatigue, diarrhea, etc.) or who have had close, personal contact with anyone diagnosed with COVID-19 should inform their supervisor. To be cleared for onsite work, employees should coordinate with their supervisor to submit an SSC Form 602 to the SSC medical clinic.

Effective March 28, 2022 Stennis Space Center is in Stage 1 of the NASA Framework for Return to On-Site Work. However, it does not signal an end to COVID-19 restrictions or current safety and health practices for on-site employees and visitors. Under Stage 1, the following provisions are in effect:

Stennis capacity restriction is increased to 75%.
Employees must continue to follow the Safe-At-Work Protocol.
Telework is encouraged for employees who can continue to accomplish their work off site.
Fully vaccinated federal employees and on-site contractors are not required to physically distance; however, capacity limits on conference rooms booked by the Conference Center will increase to 75%.

As a reminder, employees exhibiting flu, cold, and/or COVID-like symptoms (such as cough, shortness of breath/difficulty breathing, fever over 100.4 F, chills, muscle/body aches, sore throat, loss of taste/smell, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, fatigue, diarrhea, etc.) or who have had close, personal contact with anyone diagnosed with COVID-19 should not report on site. Employees should inform their supervisor and see their primary care provider.

In a gradual return to on-site work, we anticipate the following changes:

Opening of additional conference rooms for booking through the Conference Center.
Increasing seating capacity in the cafeteria.
Increasing equipment availability in the Wellness Center.

NASA continues to develop what the Future of Work will look like for the agency. For additional information, please visit the agency website here.

With the recent updated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Hancock County remaining Green on the CDC COVID-19 Heat Map, Stennis Space Center’s visitor attestation policy is no longer in effect. In addition, approval for gatherings of 50 or more attendees is not required.

Please note: this update does not change or lift the COVID capacity limits on meeting space. Until guidance is received regarding social distancing, meeting space capacities are still limited. We will continue to monitor the risk level and adjust this guidance as necessary.

As of March 4^th, the Hancock County Community Level has been updated to Low (Green) on the CDC COVID-19 Heat Map. Effective immediately, Stennis Space Center’s mask policy is as follows:

Employees, both vaccinated and unvaccinated, are not required to wear masks indoors. Regular COVID-19 testing is not required for unvaccinated employees; however, non-NASA employees should adhere to their organization’s policy on regular testing.

Stennis Leadership is waiting on updated guidance from NASA HQ and the CDC regarding social distancing and the visitor policy. Until the new guidance is received, employees should continue to practice social distancing and the attestation policy for visitors to NASA and NASA Contractors remains in effect.

Adjusted COVID Regulations_030222

NASA has adjusted its COVID-19 face mask policy based on new guidance from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The Hancock County community level is classified as Medium (Yellow); therefore, effective Wednesday, March 2, 2022, Stennis Space Center’s community mask policy is as follows:

Employees, both vaccinated and unvaccinated, are not required to wear masks indoors. Regular COVID-19 testing is required for unvaccinated employees; however, non-NASA employees should adhere to their organization’s policy on regular testing.

Please note, employees may choose to wear masks at any time. Individuals who are immunocompromised should check with their physicians to determine the need to wear a mask when the community level is either Medium (Yellow) or Low (Green). Anyone with symptoms, a positive test, or exposure to someone with COVID-19 should wear a mask and inform their supervisor.

To determine the COVID-19 community level, the new CDC COVID-19 Heat Map considers three key metrics – new COVID-19 admissions per 100,000 population in the past seven days, the percent of staffed inpatient beds occupied by COVID-19 patients, and total new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 population in the past seven days. Based on that information, the community level is classified as either Low (Green), Medium (Yellow), or High (Orange).

The center’s community level is determined by the county in which the center resides. The mask policy for each level is:

High (Orange) – Masks are required indoors for all employees regardless of vaccination status; regular COVID-19 testing is required for unvaccinated employees.
Medium (Yellow) – Employees, both vaccinated and unvaccinated, are not required to wear masks indoors; regular COVID-19 testing is required for unvaccinated employees.
Low (Green) – Employees, both vaccinated and unvaccinated, are not required to wear masks indoors, and regular COVID-19 testing is not required.

We will continue to monitor the CDC Heat Map for our surrounding counties and St. Tammany Parish and make adjustments as necessary. We appreciate your diligence and commitment to keeping everyone safe. For more information on the Agency’s Future of Work outlook, please check out the agency website here.

Return to On Site Work How to Obtain an SSC Medical Clearance 01072022

Safety Message Safe Hurricane Clean Up

Return to On-Site Work How to Obtain an SSC Medical Clearance 9_2_2021

Effective at 12:00 Noon Monday August 30, 2021 Stennis Space Center (SSC) will return to Hurricane Condition V. Stennis will returned to normal operations as it relates to Hurricanes. Employees should avoid traveling to the Lower Gainesville area as electrical issues persist in these areas. There are buildings in this area that are still without power and efforts to restore these areas are ongoing. Employees should also exercise caution and reduce speed on Stennis roadways as small debris (pine needles etc.) remain. If you return to site and find any storm related damage, please report this damage to your facility manager or call work control at 228-688-3293.

Stennis Space Center (SSC) remains in Stage 2 of the NASA Framework for Return to On-Site Work for COVID-19.

For daily status reports, employees should call (228) 688-3777 or check the NASA/SSC website at https://sscwebpub.ssc.nasa.gov/eoc/current.asp

SSC Emergency Management

NASA SSC COVID-19 Policy Updates

Latest COVID Guidance for SSC

Stennis Transitions to Stage 1 – March 28, 2022

Updated COVID-19 Guidance for Visitors to NASA Facilities

SSC Updated Mask and Testing Policy

Updated COVID Regulations March 2022

Return to On-Site Work: How to Obtain an SSC Medical Clearance (01-07-2022)

Safety Message: Safe Hurricane Clean-Up

Return to On-Site Work: How to Obtain an SSC Medical Clearance (9-2-2021)

Stennis Space Center will return to Normal Operations