Message from the director: Time to relax as best we can

Throughout our Lab’s history we have worked tirelessly to protect the nation against various threats. While our current fight against the COVID-19 pandemic presents a set of challenges we’ve never faced, I am no less gratified by our collective ability to rise to this occasion.

For all of us, each week has brought new problems and challenges — always stressful and always demanding. Yet our Lab continues to find ways to adapt and overcome. We are providing mission- critical operations as part of our national security responsibilities. Members of our workforce are working diligently around the clock to keep our facilities safe and secure for the day all of us can return to the Lab. And we are working productively from our homes to ensure the Lab accomplishes its missions — some while balancing challenges of child and elder care.

I know all of this can take a toll. The loss of social interaction with friends and loved ones or the inability to travel freely has weighed heavily on all of us. Many of us also face the challenge of taking care of our own health or that of a loved one. We must keep reminding ourselves that these protective measures will ensure things get better.

On behalf of the senior management team, I thank you for balancing your work with your responsibilities to your families and your home during these stressful times.

As we head into the holiday weekend, it is my hope all of us can take these next three days to relax and recharge as best we can, given our current social constraints. Please continue to be safe and enjoy the holiday. We deserve this time off.

- Bill Goldstein, Lab director