By Holden Mann

NERC announced Saturday that an employee in its Atlanta office has “notified leadership of a presumptive positive test” for the COVID-19 virus.

According to a press release, the unidentified employee last visited the office on March 10. NERC said it has informed FERC of the possible infection, along with building management at the Atlanta Financial Center, the site of its headquarters. The organization is currently identifying and notifying those who have been in close contact with the employee and asking them to self-quarantine at least until March 24, in addition to disinfecting its offices.

NERC issued a Level 2 Alert on March 10 in connection with the COVID-19 outbreak and has been shifting its upcoming meetings to conference calls or video conferences in light of safety recommendations from global health authorities and travel restrictions by many stakeholders. Last week, the organization announced the second quarter meetings of its Board of Trustees and Member Representatives Committee, scheduled for May 14, would also be conducted online.

“This case shows us the importance of self-reporting and self-quarantining,” said CEO Jim Robb. “When the outbreak began, NERC activated its business continuity plan and instituted a work-from-home policy to better safeguard the health and well-being of our workforce and their families … We wish a full and speedy recovery to our valued team member.”

FERC and NERC also announced last week that, during the pandemic, they would use regulatory discretion to relax compliance actions relating to some reliability standards. The regulatory easing so far is limited to delays in obtaining and maintaining personnel certification, failure to perform required period actions and postponing on-site activities such as audits and certifications. However, additional measures may follow depending on the trajectory of the outbreak. (See FERC, NERC Relax Compliance in Light of COVID-19.)

The World Health Organization’s latest situation report indicates nearly 333,000 cases of COVID-19 have been recorded worldwide since the disease was first identified in Wuhan, China. More than 14,500 deaths have been attributed to the virus globally.