Gemini Observatory COVID-19 Update

After a rocky month during which more than 200 new cases of COVID-19 occurred at correctional facilities in Hilo, numbers in early July appeared to be settling back down to the background level of a few new cases per day. However, only about half the population is fully vaccinated, and this is one reason for a more recent spike in cases occurring since the 4 July celebrations. Operations at Gemini North continue largely unchanged, but in recognition of the increasing number of vaccines, the number of staff permitted in the Hilo Base Facility has also increased, and we are returning to fully staffed day-crew numbers on Maunakea. 

In Chile, the good news is that daily new case counts have finally dropped sharply, from a high in late June. Travel restrictions remain in place. The border is closed until 25 July, and we are anticipating that all incoming travelers will be required to quarantine for five days in Santiago on arrival. Gemini South operations have continued smoothly, and we accommodated a GeMS run with some staff on Cerro Pachón and some in the Gemini South base facility in La Serena. Vaccinations have reached 70% in the La Serena region and when it reaches 80% the curfew will shorten to a few hours after midnight. Regional restrictions have reached the 3rd stage and significantly loosened the constraints on local travel.