US NASA Orders Remote Work for All 17,000+ Employees

[Image source=https://nasa.gov/]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has ordered all of its approximately 17,000 employees to work from home. As the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) intensifies in the United States, NASA has transitioned all staff to remote work and plans to maintain this arrangement until further notice.

According to CNN, on the 18th (local time), NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine issued a statement saying, "All NASA employees and contractors will immediately begin mandatory remote work until further notice," adding, "All employees except those essential to mission-critical tasks will continue working from home." Consequently, all of NASA's approximately 17,000 employees have shifted to remote work from home.

Earlier, starting from the 6th of this month, NASA, in collaboration with the U.S. Air Force, began technical testing to determine whether large-scale remote work is feasible in preparation for prolonged telecommuting due to the ongoing COVID-19 situation. Administrator Bridenstine emphasized, "Remote work for a small number of employees was successful," and stated, "COVID-19 will not significantly impact NASA's operations."

If the spread of COVID-19 continues within the United States, it is anticipated that most of the 2.1 million federal government employees may also shift to remote work. According to The Washington Post (WP), on the 11th, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management requested various government agencies to review the possibility of remote work arrangements.

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