HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - Workers at Connecticut's only nuclear power plant worrythat managers are not taking enough precautions against the coronavirus after750 temporary employees were brought in to help refuel one of the two activereactors. Ten employees at the Millstone Power Station in Waterford have tested positivefor the virus, and the arrival of the temporary workers alarms some of thepermanent employees, The Day newspaper reported Sunday. ``Speaking specifically for the guard force, there's a lot of frustration,there's a lot of concern, and I would say there's anger,'' said Millstonesecurity officer Jim Foley. Foley, vice president of the local chapter of the United Government SecurityOfficers of America, said security personnel have had to fight for personalprotective equipment and for partitions at access points to separate staff fromsecurity. Foley also has filed a complaint with the Occupational Safety and HealthAdministration saying Millstone staff are using ineffective cleaning materialsand citing a lack of cleaning and sanitizing. Cleaning activity was notscheduled during three weekends in April, he said. Officials at Millstone, owned by Dominion Energy, have not heard internalcriticism about the plant's virus precautions, Millstone spokesman Kenneth Holtsaid. ``We've actually gotten a lot of compliments from employees on the steps we'vetaken,`` he said. ``We've stepped up communications with employees to let themknow what's going on.'' Millstone recently increased cleaning staff on the weekends, Holt said, andthere is regular disinfecting at the plant. Responding to the complaint about ineffective cleaning materials, Holt saidstaff members early in the pandemic went to a Home Depot and got a bottle ofdisinfectant that wasn't approved by the federal government as effective againstthe coronavirus. An approved disinfectant was brought in the next day, he said. The deaths of nearly 2,500 Connecticut residents have been linked to COVID-19,the disease caused by the virus. More than 29,000 state residents have testedpositive. As of Sunday, hospitalizations had declined for 11 consecutive days,to over 1,480. For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such asfever and cough, that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially olderadults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severeillness, including pneumonia, and death.
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