The United States Mint has announced that its San Francisco facility will resume operations on Monday, May 4, 2020. With the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) still active in the United States, the Mint is taking significant steps to assure the health and safety of workers and indications are that production will still not be at its normal capacity.
The San Francisco Mint was shutdown on March 17, 2020 as the city and indeed much of the United States went into a Shelter in Place mode to help slow the spread of the virus. The move was proactive by the Mint and eventually the West Point facility was also closed, but for a much shorter duration of time.
To help facility the reopening, the Mint has implemented several guidelines to help protect the health of workers at the facility. These follow many of the Center for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines for containing the spread of the virus. Some of the measures being implemented include:
- Increased cleaning of the facility every weekend and increased wipe-downs daily of commonly used areas.
- Splitting the workforce into two isolated Team A and Team B work units.
- Implementing mandatory usage of face masks while in the facility.
- Increased availability of hand sanitizing stations throughout the facility.
- Installed identification, signage and physical barriers to facilitate social distancing.
- Installed signage regarding the usage of face masks, increased hand-washing and social distancing practices.
- Developed a comprehensive COVID-19 response plan should an employee be potentially exposed to the virus.
- Drafted new operating policies and procedures regarding COVID-19 measures and enforcing adherence to these policies and procedures.
Although it does not currently produce circulating coins, it mints:
- Clad and silver proof coin sets
- Commemorative coins as authorized by Congress
The San Francisco Mint is one of the few Mint facilities not open to tours for the general public.