Kitt Peak Begins COVID-19 Restart Plan; Chile Restart to Begin Soon

A week ago, on 14 September 2020, Kitt Peak National Observatory officially began Phase 1.0 of its COVID-19 restart plan, with a ramp up of effort at the site and personnel to be added weekly. Continued activity is contingent on COVID-19 infection rates remaining low enough for the work to continue safely.

During Phase 1, the Mayall Telescope and DESI will be prepared for recommissioning, with regular telescope and instrument operations possible by the end of October. Recommissioning will be followed by survey validation, which is expected to continue into December. A detailed schedule of all work to be performed at the Mayall has been developed and undergone extensive review and approval.

WIYN is also preparing to resume operations. If all goes well, science operations may resume—for instruments other than NEID—in late October to early November, with a minimal physical presence (i.e., no non-Tucson observers) at the site. Over the same period, NEID will be prepared for the restart of commissioning, which is tentatively scheduled for December.

In Chile, Phase 1 restart activities are planned to begin the week of 28 September 2020, including activities on Cerro Tololo and Cerro Pachón. If the ramp-up proceeds according to plan, limited night-time operations are expected to resume by the latter half of October at Gemini South and SOAR and by November at the Blanco Telescope.