OPM Releases Guidance on Coronavirus Following White House Task Force Meeting
At the direction of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has released guidance to agencies regarding the potential impact of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). OPM coordinated this guidance with the National Security Council (NSC), Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Department of State (DoS), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), General Services Administration (GSA), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and the Federal Protective Service (FPS).
The guidance memo issued to agency leaders reminds agencies of various human resource flexibilities available to assist agencies in protecting their workforce. These options include telework and federal mission resilience plans.
The guidance directs agencies to “immediately review” their continuity of operations plans (COOP) to “ensure that telework has been fully incorporated and that as many employees as possible have been identified as telework employees in the plan, and are telework capable.”
FEMA also recommended that departments and agencies monitor and prepare for any circumstances that may hinder the performance of essential functions.
According to the memo, OPM and OMB plan to host periodic interagency calls concerning questions and issues that arise about relevant human resource issues.
Included in the memo was a CDC guidance reminding employees that the immediate health risks from COVID-19 are low at this time.
“Nevertheless, Federal agencies should review their plans and continue their preparations since this is an emerging, rapidly evolving situation,” the memo explains. “CDC will provide updated information on the CDC website. Additionally, CDC and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) have created a page to highlight resources available for the protection of U.S. workers in all settings.”
Regarding travel, the guidance presents a framework, but is not prescriptive, regarding how agencies review and begin to reduce non-essential travel. Employees who have traveled internationally to countries currently designated by the U.S. Department of State as Level 4 (Do Not Travel) due to COVID-19 are advised to stay at home and monitor their health for 14 days after returning to the U.S.
The guidance does not require the immediate cancellation of pre-planned travel or conferences that are not located in areas with Level 4 travel advisory.
Additionally, the guidance explains that the Interagency Security Committee has established standards for day-to-day risk management of federal facilities. State and federal health officials are providing ongoing guidance to federal agencies regarding control and containment of COVID-19 exposure.