Federal agencies will gradually return to normal operations in parallel with the White House’s three-phase plan to reactivate the national economy as the COVID-19 pandemic recedes, the Trump administration said Monday.
The new guidance does not provide any set schedule for the process, but rather says managers must make decisions on reducing telework and staffing up offices based on factors including geography, personnel guidelines, and guidelines for travel by federal employees and contractors. Reopening steps would be made in alignment with corresponding decisions by state, local, tribal, and territorial governments, “while also accounting for agency operational needs, as appropriate and applicable.”
“Given the diversity of Federal workforce missions, geographic locations and the needs of individuals within the workforce itself, this transition will require continued diligence and flexibility from Federal agencies and the Federal workforce,” according to a memorandum to federal agency heads from Russell Vought, acting director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, and Michael Rigas, acting director of the Office of Personnel Management.
Work at Department of Energy nuclear weapons and cleanup sites has been limited to essential operations.
The DOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) has greatly reduced the number of personnel at its nuclear weapons labs, production sites and the Nevada National Security Site. However, the agency — deemed essential for its core national security work — has continued work on weapons modernization and maintenance programs throughout the pandemic.
“While NNSA is prioritizing mission essential operations, we continue to follow guidelines specified by the White House, Office of Management and Budget, Department of State, Department of Homeland Security, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,” a spokesperson for agency headquarters said Friday.
There were over 2.1 million full-time civilian federal employees in 2019, not including U.S. Postal Service personnel. About 85% of them work outside Washington, D.C.
The majority of staff at federal offices in Washington and around the nation have been working remotely since March to curb the spread of novel coronavirus 2019.
Only mission-critical federal personnel are going into offices, such as employees who work with classified material that cannot be brought home, or whose responsibilities require use of a sensitive compartmented information facility, or SCIF, the industry source noted.
More than 50,000 people have died in the United States this year after infection by novel coronavirus 2019, according to reports Friday. Federal documents issued early this month warned that lifting all social distancing measures could lead to over 300,000 deaths, NPR and the Center for Public Integrity reported earlier this week.
Bringing federal workers back to their offices will be a complex process, the source said. Many children are now being homeschooled and schools will not necessarily reopen during this academic year. Some employees are over age 70; managers will need to avoid endangering a small, but vulnerable population of workers without discriminating against them.
The White House on April 17 rolled out its “Opening Up America Again” guidelines. It urges state and local leaders to hold off on widespread opening of businesses until, in part, a two-week “downward trajectory” in both confirmed cases of COVID-19 and influenza-like illnesses. That would open the gate for individuals and employers to move toward normal activities, in three phases.
The process would work like this:
- Phase One would be for states and regions that meet the initial gating criteria. Vulnerable individuals are advised to continue sheltering in place, while others are urged to maintain social distancing and avoiding congregating in groups of more than 10. Employers would encourage telework, bring employees back in phases, bar personnel from common areas, and keep nonessential travel to a minimum. Certain employers, such as schools and bars, would remain closed, and high-traffic businesses such as concert venues and gyms would have to sustain physical distancing and other safety measures.
- Phase Two is for states and regions that have met the gating criteria two times without signs of a rebound in infections. Vulnerable individuals would remain sheltered in place, with others still employing social distancing but group sizes up to 50 people. Non-essential travel would be allowed. Employers would still be urged to promote telework and to close common areas. Businesses that had been closed in the first phase could reopen, but with social distancing in effect.
- Phase Three covers states and regions that have passed the gating criteria three times without any indication of a disease rebound. Vulnerable individuals could interact with the public and there would be no limit on groups sizes. There would be no restrictions for on-site staffing at work locations and capacity restrictions would be lifted for businesses such as bars and gyms.
“In general, the Federal Government will calibrate its transitional strategy to return to normal operations to the Phase of a state, county, region, or metropolitan-area determined by the state assessment,” according to Vought and Rigas.
Telework would be ramped down over time, with mandatory and maximum telework directives lifted while avoiding endangering workers who are particularly at risk of infection. Reopening a facility for full staffing would require screening to prevent entry by sick or higher-risk individuals, ensuring buildings are cleaned, and maintaining social distancing and availability of hygiene supplies.
How this all will actually function, and over what period of time, remains to be seen and will almost certainly not be conducted uniformly across the nation. President Donald Trump on Sunday himself urged residents of three states to “liberate” themselves, seemingly against the continued restrictions imposed by their Democratic Party governors.
Many state and local leaders are warning against a rush to reopen that could undo efforts to control the disease. Some states, notably Georgia, meanwhile are moving quickly to reopen businesses – not waiting on the gating period advised by the White House.
