COVID-19 Information

With COVID-19 numbers in Arizona consistently low since February 2021, scheduled releases of COVID-19 information targeted to co-ops has decreased. Please see the resources below for other helpful information.

For our Library of Resources, click HERE.

“The GCSECA team is working to ensure our operations run seamlessly during this time of uncertainty. We are here to support our members’ needs. GCSECA has contingency and continuity plans in place to ensure we will continue to be an important asset and resource to our members to other stakeholders. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us if we can be of assistance,” GCSECA CEO, Dave Lock.

As reports of the coronavirus (COVID-19) continue, GCSECA is monitoring the threat and discussing plans to help protect you and maintain our critical business operations. We are thankful to have a Certified Heath Education Specialist on staff who has a background in health and epidemiology, and can help to provide us with the tools and resources that we need to navigate through this time.

As is the case with the flu and many other illnesses, the most effective way we can lower the risk of the coronavirus for our families and in the workplace is to prevent the spread of germs. If you are not already doing so, please take these simple steps to help prevent the spread of illness:

Wash your hands for 20 seconds and clean your work space often. This includes offices, desks and trucks. We also currently provide additional supplies of hand sanitizer, disinfectant spray and wipes for employees, offices and common areas.

Stay home if you are sick. For the benefit of you and all of us here at GCSECA, please stay home if you have symptoms of the coronavirus. Symptoms typically begin with a fever and then move to a dry cough followed by shortness of breath. You should be fever-free for 24-hours without the use of medication before returning to work.

Courtesy of https://boomers-daily.com/2020/03/14/health-facts-do-the-five-help-stop-coronavirus/; March 14, 2020.

Remember to do the FIVE:

The basic protective measures against coronavirus include:

1. HANDS Wash them often
2. ELBOW Cough into it
3. FACE Don’t touch it
4. FEET Stay more than 6 feet apart
5. FEEL sick? Stay home

Always remember to check your facts on COVID-19 with a reliable and scientific source like the CDC, World Health Organization (WHO) or National Institutes of Health (NIH).

For more information about coronavirus and preventing the spread of germs, visit CDC at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-in-us.html (Please also see the “More Information,” section located at the bottom of this page.)

COVID-19 and Arizona’s Electric Cooperatives

Business continuity plans developed by electric cooperatives are designed to maintain the health and safety of the people working for them and to ensure that business critical operations continue without interruption. These measures help ensure that your electric co-op continues to provide reliable electricity during a business continuity event.

Planning for a health emergency, such as a pandemic, is unique from other business continuity planning. It requires businesses to prepare to operate with a significantly smaller workforce, a threatened supply chain, and limited support services for an extended period until an unknown date in the future. GCSECA is taking steps now to be prepared in the event there is a significant impact from the coronavirus in our communities. We are focused on maintaining a healthy workforce, and keeping key personnel available so that we can continue to provide the excellent service you expect from us.

Through our national association (NRECA), electric co-ops coordinate with others in the electric sector and the federal government to prepare for and respond to national-level disasters or threats to critical infrastructure. This includes scenarios such as pandemics that could impact the energy workforce. Through this coordination, electric co-ops and government partners focus on actions and strategies that help protect the energy grid, prevent threats that may disrupt electricity service, and develop capabilities that help electric co-ops quickly respond and recover when major incidents impact the grid.

Members of Arizona’s local electric cooperatives should be on the lookout for suspicious emails, phone calls, or persons impersonating business employees or charitable organizations. Unfortunately, scammers take advantage of opportunities such as this when households are otherwise preoccupied. If you get a call from someone claiming to represent your local co-op, and they make threats or demand immediate payment, hang up and call your local electric co-op and report this.

Resources for Arizona’s Electric Cooperatives:

Court-of-Appeals-Reinstates-OSHA-COVID19-Vaccination-Testing-Mandate

NRECA’s Latest Updates

CDC’s Guidance for Businesses & Employers

How Co-ops are Handling COVID-19 Threat

Straight Talk Communicator and Media Resources

COVID-19 and its Impact on GCSECA Events

GCSECA employees are monitoring new developments with COVID-19 closely. Due to increased precautions and always wanting the safety of our electric co-op employees, we have made the decision to cancel a few of our upcoming events:

GCSECA’s NESC Review workshop that was to be held on April 8 – 9, 2020 at GCSECA’s office. This is actively in the works to be rescheduled, and we will post whenever we have a new date for this workshop.
GCSECA’s Loss Control cleanup and organizing day has also been postponed for the time being. We will follow up with our members with the new proposed dates soon.
GCSECA’s 2020 Summer Meeting, scheduled July 20-23 in Flagstaff, has been canceled. It was a difficult decision to make in April, with much uncertainty about the impact of coronavirus. With the number of positive cases unfortunately spiking in Arizona in June, we feel that cancelling the meeting was the right decision. Fortunately, our hosts at the Little America Hotel have agreed to work with us on contractual matters related to the meeting. Essentially, we have flipped the contract forward for this year’s meeting to 2021, under the same terms and conditions and without incurring any financial penalties or impact for making the change. The Summer Meeting next year is scheduled for July 19-22. GCSECA’s Board ratified this action at the Board meeting on July 21st.

Please also be aware of changes in our Board meeting schedule. We are still planning to continue with our Board meeting on September 3rd; however, we are looking in to the possibility of hosting our future Board meetings via web conference and conference calling. Again, the health and safety of our members is our priority and we want to be sure to play our part in keeping safety a reality. As one of our cooperative principles states, our concern for community is one of our defining principles, and we desire to see Arizona electric co-op’s communities safe and healthy.