US Prepares Worst-Case Scenario Measures... Federal Employees May Work from Home

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] The U.S. government is reportedly preparing emergency measures that could involve hundreds of thousands of federal employees working from home in the worst-case scenario to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), according to the Washington Post (WP) on the 11th (local time).

According to the report, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) recently urged heads of federal agencies to immediately review telework guidelines and prepare for a transition to remote work by providing employees with laptops and granting access to computer networks. As a result, employees who currently work from home once or twice a week or come to the office daily are likely to shift to full-time telework soon. WP explained that although the Trump administration had reduced the scale of telework in federal agencies for a while after taking office, it is now trying to increase it again amid growing concerns over the spread of COVID-19.

Although official instructions have not yet been issued to all agencies, some federal agencies have already voluntarily started teleworking. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) switched about 2,400 employees to telework on the 9th after a suspected COVID-19 case was reported at its Washington, D.C. headquarters. The day before, the International Trade Administration (ITA) under the U.S. Department of Commerce ordered employees who had traveled abroad to self-quarantine. The U.S. Department of State has conducted emergency video conference training for employees, instructed them to meet only in small groups, and reportedly plans to prohibit business trips unless absolutely necessary.

The U.S. Capitol will also suspend its tour program until the end of this month. The Capitol authorities explained that this decision was made due to the spread of COVID-19 but legislative work will continue as usual. Foreign media reported that about 3 million people tour the U.S. Capitol annually.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.