USA  Thanks to Bob Gregory for this alert.

10th April 2020 – Terrified Atomic Workers Warn That the COVID-19 Pandemic May Threaten Nuclear Reactor Disaster

Extracts:

Of critical importance: every 18-24 months each reactor must shut for refueling and repairs. Itinerant crews of 1000 to 1500 technicians travel to 58 sites in 29 states, usually staying 30-60 days. They often board with local families, or in RVs, hotels, or Air B&Bs.

Industry-wide the pandemic has brought working conditions to the brink of collapse.  At Pennsylvania’s Limerick Generating Station, workers say they are “terrified” that the plant has become a “breeding ground…a complete cesspool” for the coronavirus.  “I’m in a constant state of paranoia,” one technician told Carl Hessler, Jr., of MontcoCourtNews.

The industry is now using the coronavirus pandemic to rush through a wide range of deregulation demands. Among them is a move to allow radioactive waste to be dumped into municipal landfills.

Comment:

The Covid-19 pandemic is going to affect nuclear power plant safety worldwide. As nuclear workers become infected and taken out of the workforce all those countries with operating nuclear reactors will be facing the similar staffing and maintenance problems. Let’s pray and hope that governments around the world are capable of making very good decisions on how to deal with skilled nuclear worker shortages.

Article:

https://www.commondreams.org/views/2020/04/10/terrified-atomic-workers-warn-covid-19-pandemic-may-threaten-nuclear-reactor