THREE NEWSROOM STAFF SELF-QUARANTINING AT HOME
Last week, three newsroom employees of New Hampshire Public Radio attended the NICAR20 (National Institute for Computer-Assisted Reporting) Conference in New Orleans, joined by hundreds of other journalists from around the country.
On Tuesday, March 10, the three NHPR employees were informed that another conference attendee had tested “presumptively positive” for COVID-19. The diagnosis is awaiting confirmation from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. According to a statement from NICAR, the attendee has “mild symptoms and is expected to make a full recovery.” (An updated page from IRE, the conference organizers, can be found here.)
Upon notification of this development, senior management at NHPR consulted public health guidelines to determine a course of action. Out of an abundance of caution for our staff and for members of the general public with whom staff members might come into contact, the employees have been asked to self-monitor from home for 14 days and to follow social-distancing practices. They will continue to do their jobs from home. In addition, flexible working arrangements were put in place for most other NHPR staff, including asking newsroom staff to work from home.
NHPR staff were notified about this development in a timely manner. Senior management will continue to monitor developments and maintain open lines of communication with staff members and the public.
NHPR is striving to maintain the health and safety of its staff while providing thorough coverage of the coronavirus outbreak to the people of New Hampshire. As in our journalism, we are committed to being transparent and evidence-based as we conduct our daily business.
For inquiries about this matter, contact: Patricia McLaughlin, Dir. of Communications & Marketing at NHPR, pmclaughlin@nhpr.org., 603-223-2444.