Email Print Share

Message to the Antarctic community regarding COVID measures


November 12, 2022

Dear Antarctic Sciences Community, 

As many of you are aware, McMurdo Station experienced an increase in COVID-19 cases between October 15 and November 4. To date, all cases but one have been mild, suggesting that our elevated standards for PQ (physical qualifications needed to deploy), and our vaccination requirements, are effective.  

The safety and health of our deployed and deploying population is our highest priority, which is why we are instituting a two-week pause in travel from Christchurch to McMurdo. We anticipate this temporary pause will lower transmission rates by not introducing new individuals to the station and greatly decrease the likelihood of transferring positive individuals to the Deep Field and South Pole. It also allows NSF to consider and implement additional mitigation strategies, including increased testing, more stringent masking requirements, and the creation of additional isolation spaces for COVID-positive persons, as needed.

While our goal is to allow science to go forward, this goal cannot supersede our responsibility to keep our population safe. We recognize that the preventive measures taken over the last few seasons resulted in severe limitations of scientific work, which felt frustrating. Our pause and ongoing efforts intend to strike a balance between safety, health, and the progress of science. Adherence to the mitigation tactics is the fastest way to get back to the research at hand.

When we see a decrease in cases, we can consider resuming normal operations and science activities with the additional mitigation measures. Our containment plan will include a thoughtful “safety and health first” focus while fulfilling our overall science mission to the greatest extent possible for this and future seasons.

For regular updates on COVID in Antarctica, please consult the NSF Coronavirus Information Page.

Best wishes,

Roberta Marinelli  
Director, NSF Office of Polar Programs

 

The U.S. National Science Foundation propels the nation forward by advancing fundamental research in all fields of science and engineering. NSF supports research and people by providing facilities, instruments and funding to support their ingenuity and sustain the U.S. as a global leader in research and innovation. With a fiscal year 2023 budget of $9.5 billion, NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to nearly 2,000 colleges, universities and institutions. Each year, NSF receives more than 40,000 competitive proposals and makes about 11,000 new awards. Those awards include support for cooperative research with industry, Arctic and Antarctic research and operations, and U.S. participation in international scientific efforts.

mail icon Get News Updates by Email 

Connect with us online
NSF website: nsf.gov
NSF News: nsf.gov/news
For News Media: nsf.gov/news/newsroom
Statistics: nsf.gov/statistics/
Awards database: nsf.gov/awardsearch/

Follow us on social
Twitter: twitter.com/NSF
Facebook: facebook.com/US.NSF
Instagram: instagram.com/nsfgov