COVID-19 Orders Scrapped, OPM Cuts Leave Policies
President Biden issued an executive order that rescinds much of the COVID-19 protocols that were in effect across the federal government.
The executive order rescinds three prior orders related to the pandemic: one that required federal agencies to comply with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance on workplace safety protocols, including mask wearing on federal property, one that implemented public health measures for travel, and one that was designed to stop the hoarding of COVID-19 medical supplies.
The order abolishes the COVID-19 Response Coordinator position, transferring its responsibilities to the Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy (OPPR).
Also terminated is the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force.
“At this stage of my Administration’s response to COVID-19, I have determined that certain Executive Orders are no longer necessary and that certain roles and responsibilities established by other Executive Orders related to COVID-19 should be transferred to the OPPR,” wrote President Biden in the order.
OMB Memo
In a memo, Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Shalanda Young stated that agencies should “continue to maintain, update, and implement workplace safety plans” and refer to guidance from the CDC and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) as applicable on the pandemic.
Director Young also wrote that OPPR is “playing a critical role in the Federal Government’s pandemic preparedness efforts, including by providing advice, within the Executive Office of the President, on policy related to preparedness for, and response to, pandemic and biological threats that may impact national security.”
OPM’s Role
Meanwhile OMB referred questions about COVID-19-related leave to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM).
In a memo, OPM Director Kiran Ahuja stated that OPM “will have the role of providing agencies with guidance on the use of leave in various circumstances related to COVID-19 and other public health emergencies.”
Leave is no longer approved for a variety of situations, including when an employee is assisting a family member in receiving a COVID-19 vaccine, when an employee has an adverse reaction to a COVID-19 vaccine, and when an employee has COVID-19 symptoms and is isolating while actively seeking to get tested.
However, OPM says federal employees may be granted up to four hours of administrative leave to receive an updated COVID-19 vaccine.
Union Warning
National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) National President Doreen Greenwald warned that the federal government may be moving too quickly here.
“The Safer Federal Workforce Task Force helped protect federal employees during an unprecedented health emergency and we appreciate those efforts. The threat from COVID-19 may have diminished, but it is not erased,” said Greenwald.