The Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA) shut down for a period of over 6 months in 2020. The subsequent restart of the largest, most complex astronomical observatory on earth required a balance between COVID risk and operational needs. In this submission we highlight the early efforts to secure and monitor the installations at our remote, 5,000m site, which saw its normal staff complement reduce from ~180 to ~10 overnight, requiring rapid changes to procedures, new improvised installations, and implementation of remote support previously unavailable. We outline the planning, review, recovery, and lessons learned from the restart efforts.
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