WHAT IS NAVSEA DOING TO HELP MITIGATE THE SPREAD OF COVID-19?

• We are encouraging people who are not feeling well to stay home and seek medical treatment if they have symptoms similar to COVID-19.
• We are encouraging people to become telework ready should they be required to stay home for an extended period of time.
• At Headquarters, we are adding hand sanitizers to our buildings and bringing in additional cleaning services and supplies so people can wipe down their work spaces.  Other organizations are doing the same.
• At Headquarters, effective 28 JUL 21, NAVSEA requires all Headquarters Service members, Federal civilian employees, onsite contractors, and visitors to wear a mask in indoor settings while aboard installations and other facilities owned, leased, or otherwise controlled by DoD regardless of their vaccination status.

On 8 MAR 20, the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness sent out civilian personnel guidance tied to COVID-19. NAVSEA will continue to align with higher headquarters in how we approach preparing for and responding to COVID-19. With that in mind, here is some general guidance:

TELEWORK

All employees who are telework-ready should be prepared to telework should their worksite close – this is a Continuity of Operations (COOP) requirement.

• All NAVSEA telework-ready employees are required to take their laptop home every day.
• All NAVSEA telework-eligible employees are strongly encouraged to sign telework agreements. 
• NAVSEA employees may sign situational (ad hoc) telework agreements that will only be in place during the current COVID-19 outbreak.
• NAVSEA is requiring supervisors to be as flexible as possible with employees who may have child or eldercare responsibilities.
• NAVSEA is encouraging alternative work schedules and times to help mitigate overwhelming NMCI in the case of COOP or mass-telework.
• Should NAVSEA exercise its COOP, and/or if offices close, telework-ready employees will be required to telework. 

TRAVEL

The latest direction on travel for meetings and conferences in the Deputy Secretary of Defense memo “Updated Coronavirus Disease 2019 Guidance Related to Travel and Meetings (24 September 2021).” Some highlights include:

• With the exception of military training events and exercises, there is a 50-person limit on DoD-sponsored, in-person meetings, events and conferences for fully vaccinated personnel with proof of vaccination. Unvaccinated personnel will not be allowed to attend.
• The 50-person limit is derived from the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force, "COVID-19 Workplace Safety: Agency Model Safety Principles," released 13 September 2021.
• Meetings of more than 50 participants must be approved at the Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) level.
• Fully vaccinated personnel are not restricted from official domestic and international travel.
• Individuals who are not fully vaccinated or who decline to provide information on vaccination status are limited to mission-critical travel, which must be approved at the SECNAV level.

For information about contractors, please see the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force’s COVID-19 Workplace Safety: Guidance for Federal Contractors and Subcontractors (24 September 2021) and the FAQs for Federal Contractors on their website.

TELEWORK INFO/GUIDANCE

NOV. 30, 2020, the department released the memo for Extension of Maximum Telework Flexibilities extending the limited exception to policy provided by the USD memorandum on March 8, 2020.  See that memo here.

ANTIVIRUS HOME USE PROGRAM

DISA completed a contract for the Anti-virus for Home Use program.  The URL for Home use Anti-virus is:  https://www.disa.mil/Cybersecurity/Network-Defense/Antivirus/Home-Use.

MILSUITE

If you need a collaboration site that doesn’t require VPN, recommend the use of MilSuite.  https://www.milsuite.mil

USE OF COMMERCIAL VOICE AND VIDEO CAPABILITIES

1.   Gov personnel may NOT procure, download, and use collaboration tools or services
2.   Govt personnel may NOT task a contractor to procure any collaboration tools or services on behalf of the Govt
3.   Govt personnel may NOT direct a CTR to use the CTR’s collaboration tools or services to host meetings for the Govt
4.   If an industry partner hosts a meeting using commercial collaboration tools, Govt personnel may participate, if able to access tool via NMCI.  FLTCYBERCOM will not open up ports to enable use or permit download of the capability.  When participating in a voice call, VTC, chat session, or in a collaboration activity, personnel are reminded that CTR tools are NOT FEDRAMP approved and do not have an ATO; do not discuss or pass sensitive information (FOUO PII, PHI, CTU/CUI, etc.) during these meetings.
    

CYBER HYGIENE BEST PRACTICES

With many of us teleworking, it’s critical that we continue to practice proper cyber hygiene to ensure we do not open ourselves and the Navy’s networks to attack. Here is a quick list of “Do” and “Don’ts:”

- DO REBOOT your machines PRIOR to connecting to the VPN
- DO NOT use Social Media to post about your work scenarios/situation, how you are connected or any of our capacity, capabilities or limitations
- DO NOT stand up your own commercial collaboration capabilities (Zoom, Slack, WEBEX, etc.)  
- DO NOT open unknown attachments while teleworking.
- DO NOT browse the internet while connected via the VPN unless required.
- DO NOT connect thumb drives to your computer.  USCYBERCOM is detecting a spike in unauthorized USB connections into machines connecting remotely. This WILL DISABLE your machine until it is analyzed.  This impacts operations and creates extra work for our service desk. 

WHAT YOU SHOULD DO?

• STAY INFORMED – CDC is updating its website daily with the latest information and advice for the public. (www.cdc.gov/ncov)
• REMEMBER TO TAKE EVERYDAY PREVENTIVE ACTIONS that are always recommended to prevent the spread of respiratory viruses.
      » Avoid close contact with sick people.
      » While sick, limit contact with others as much as possible.
      » Stay home if you are sick.
      » Cover your nose and mouth when you cough or sneeze. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands; germs spread this way.
      » Clean and disinfect surfaces and objects that may be contaminated with germs.
      » Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol based hand rub with at least 60% alcohol.
      » Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
• IF YOU FEEL SICK with fever, cough, or difficulty breathing, and were in close contact with someone with COVID-19 in the 14 days before you began to feel sick, seek medical care. Before you go to a doctor’s office or emergency room, call ahead and tell them about your recent  travel and your symptoms.