Dear Getty community,

As we have seen in the past several days since the Thanksgiving holiday, there is a continued steep increase in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in Los Angeles County that has prompted new, more stringent public health directives. 

This week we also have seen an increase in cases among Getty workers who regularly come to work on our sites.  As of today, five Getty employees have tested positive, two at the Villa, two at the Center, and one who worked at both locations.  One of the workers tested positive through an on-site Getty test; the others were tested in the community.  Several other workers are quarantining and waiting for test results. There is no indication any workers contracted COVID at work, but the cases do reflect the increase in our communities.

The situation is quickly evolving locally and statewide. We are closely monitoring the changes and continue to proceed with our operations using an abundance of caution.  We continue to follow the requirements laid out by Los Angeles County, which allow for minimum basic operations to maintain and protect our collection and to support those working from home.  Managers are carefully reviewing the schedules for on-site employees and are directly informing workers of any anticipated schedule changes.

We continue to have all of our on-site protocols in place to keep our employees and contractors safe, well beyond what is required.  We have increased the frequency of our on-site COVID testing, returning to a weekly requirement for all those working on our sites.  And we continue to observe social distancing and cleaning protocols.

It remains critical that all Getty employees take responsibility for their actions both at work and at home, and that everyone follow health directives to avoid gatherings and minimize their potential for exposure.  In our experience, the majority of positive cases have resulted from gatherings. Any employee who has traveled outside of the Los Angeles area by plane, train, or bus, or who has otherwise been in close contact with people outside their household, are likely to be required to quarantine for 14 days before coming back to work on site. (Employees who take a train or bus to work are exempt from the requirement to quarantine, but must take safety precautions en route.) Please work directly with your supervisor to make these determinations.

The COVID-19 task force continues to meet at least weekly. We recognize that there is much uncertainty about the duration of restrictions, and whether they will become more stringent in coming days.  We will be in close communication with all of you if there is any change in our operations.  Thank you for your continued diligence and patience as we all work to keep each other, and our region, safe and healthy.

Steve Olsen
Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer