In the face of the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, CNPEM established a series of actions and routines in order to minimize the negative impacts on its projects and activities. All these measures were founded on our commitment to do as much as possible to safeguard the health and well-being of our staff and service providers. As of March 18, 2020, all professionals whose activities could be carried out remotely were asked to work at home to reduce the movement of people on campus as much as possible. At the same time, the required adaptations to CNPEM facilities began for potential gradual resumption of activities considered priorities. Additionally, an electronic signature system was implemented in a timely manner to allow remote processing of documents, and various administration processes were revised so they could be carried out digitally. Staff began to use technological tools that made it possible to work remotely and hold scientific events online, with constant support from the information technology area.
To further protect staff from Covid-19, the H1N1 flu vaccination campaign was moved forward to early April and held via drive-thru, with restricted car access on campus. We were able to maintain the continuity of essential activities through the prompt adoption of safety strategies that were proposed and reassessed by the Board on an ongoing basis. These measures were implemented and are continuously monitored by the workplace safety area. These activities made priority work possible, particularly with regard to the Covid-19 task force and commissioning of the first Sirius beamlines., in addition to safe and responsible maintenance of other laboratory and campus activities.