The UK has lowered its Covid-19 alert level from 4 to 3, meaning transmission of the virus is no longer judged to be high or exponentially rising, raising expectations that physical distancing restrictions could be cut.
The downgrade, which was endorsed by all four chief medical officers, could pave the way for some physical distancing measures to be eased, but they cautioned that the pandemic was not over.
After the lowering of the alert level Boris Johnson said to watch this space when asked during a Hertfordshire school visit whether distancing restrictions could be cut to help schools return in September.
Whitehall sources suggested that meant the review of the 2-metre rule commissioned by the prime minister could report as soon as next week.
Johnson said: We have to start thinking of a world in which we are less apprehensive about this disease I hope, as we go forward into the autumn, people will be much, much more confident.
Downing Street is under intense pressure to relax restrictions, with the hospitality industry still unclear what guidance it will have to follow if it reopens as planned on 4 July.
Emma McClarkin, the chief executive of the British Beer and Pub Association, said a decision could not come soon enough. We are disappointed the PM hasnt answered our desperate plea for urgent clarity. In light of the announcement that the country is moving to covid alert level 3, wed really hoped we would hear some positive news today.
Johnsons comments came as documents released on Friday by the UK governments committee of experts revealed scientists warned ministers that public adherence to physical distancing measures may crumble once it is suggested that lockdown restrictions are set to be lifted.
The minutes from a 21 May meeting show the governments own advisers had deep concerns that easing measures at that stage could result in the countrys test-and-trace system being very rapidly overwhelmed.
The UK has been at level 4 since the five-tier alert system was announced in May, and the shift to level 3 means Covid-19 is now considered to be in general circulation, with the threat level moving from severe to substantial.
The chief medical officers said levels of infection meant there were still likely to be localised outbreaks.
The alert level is set by the joint biosecurity centre, based on evidence including the R, or reproduction number, and the number of confirmed cases at a given time. The latest government estimates suggest R is hovering just under 1 in most parts of the country and that numbers of cases are slowly declining.
In a statement, the chief medical officers said: The CMOs for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have reviewed the evidence and agree with this recommendation to move to level 3 across the UK.
There has been a steady decrease in cases we have seen in all four nations, and this continues. It does not mean that the pandemic is over. The virus is still in general circulation, and localised outbreaks are likely to occur.
We have made progress against the virus thanks to the efforts of the public and we need the public to continue to follow the guidelines carefully to ensure this progress continues.
The health secretary, Matt Hancock, said: The UK moving to a lower alert level is a big moment for the country, and a real testament to the British peoples determination to beat this virus.
A Downing Street spokesman said the downgrade did not automatically mean a change to lockdown restrictions. Weve said throughout that easing the lockdown will be contingent on continuing to meet the five tests, making sure that any changes we make wont result in the NHS becoming overwhelmed, and the continuation of infections and fatalities being reduced.
Asked if this meant the public should not necessarily expect any changes to existing timetables to ease restrictions, he said: I would say that it will be used by government to inform decisions on the continuing easing of lockdown. They are not contingent on each other.
Last month, members of the governments Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) criticised the government for easing restrictions, including allowing groups of six people to meet outdoors and encouraging people to return to work, before the threat level had been reduced.
The latest tranche of Sage documents reveal the behind-the-scenes warnings that preceded these public interventions. The scientists advised that the R value could return to 1.7 in a reasonable worst-case scenario of restrictions being eased without a proven test-and-trace system in place. The scientists also raised the prospect of test-and-trace capacity being a greater challenge in winter because people spent more time indoors, allowing the virus to spread more easily, and because of the increased number of people with other seasonal illnesses seeking tests.
In the first week of test and trace, beginning 28 May, there were 23,000 symptomatic infections in England, according to the Office for National Statistics, but just over 8,000 people who had tested positive were contacted by the tracing teams, and 5,400 of those handed over the phone numbers and email addresses 0f those they had met. The teams managed to reach just under 27,000 people and asked them to self-isolate. Nearly 5,000 more, however, were not reached or refused to comply.
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Gov. Andrew Cuomo | Stefani Reynolds/Getty Images
ALBANY New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo delivered his final regular daily briefing on the coronavirus Friday, commencing an unusual weekend away from the limelight with a short address touting the states accomplishments combating the pandemic.
We have done a full 180 from worst to first, said Cuomo. We are controlling the virus better than any state in the county and any nation on the globe.
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The governor also officially announced that New York City will enter Phase 2 of its reopening on Monday, a timing he had previously suggested was likely but had not confirmed definitively. The expanded reopening will include al fresco dining and the return of in-store shopping, office jobs, hair salons and barbershops, the real estate industry and car dealerships.
Cuomos Friday briefing was an abrupt departure from what has become the new gubernatorial normal in recent months. The governor, more a political mechanic than a wordsmith, has traditionally shied away from holding regular press conferences. He made one public appearance in the Capitol in the eight months after the conclusion of last years legislative session.
But with concerns over the virus beginning to emerge in late February, he gave five briefings in a six-day stretch. When New York announced its first positive test on March 2, he gave 17 updates in 12 days. After a Saturday on which he held a couple of conference calls, he then began a 96-day streak of daily press briefings, the vast majority of which were in Albany.
No reporters were present for Fridays update, as Cuomo spent 10 minutes addressing the camera from behind his desk.
Why did it take a crisis to bring us together? he said. Why does government usually appeal to the worst in us rather than the best? Why doesnt government urge us to realize we are members of the same community, the same family, and that we all benefit when we work together?
Isnt that what we really showed over the past 111 days, that working together works? That the only way forward is if I protect you and you protect me I wear a mask for you and you wear a mask for me.
The speech was followed by a video montage featuring highlights of past press conferences, pictures of people wearing masks and a recording of a March 24 speech in which Cuomo promised that love wins, always.
It ended with a PowerPoint slide referencing the viral catchphrase Cuomo started using in the early days of the pandemic, when widespread home confinement and the elimination of regular social schedules led to the weeks collapsing in on themselves: And dont forget, tomorrow is Saturday.
The city of McAllen issued a statement Thursday in response to inquiries about city employees testing positive for COVID-19.
The City of McAllen takes the health and safety of our employees and visitors very seriously and is following established protocols to ensure [the] same, the statement read.
The three-sentence release neither confirmed nor denied whether any employees had tested positive for the coronavirus. Several city sources not authorized to speak to the media, however, have said city employees have tested positive.
We also respect the medical privacy of our employees, it read. The City of McAllen will continue to follow appropriate guidance and requirements regarding both.
McAllen Police Association President Javier Cavazos indicated in a statement posted to social media that officers have been exposed to Corona Virus positive co-workers
The statement indicated that Cavazos spoke with City Manager Roy Rodriguez about these concerns and inquired about how it should be handled.
Cavazos claims he asked Rodriguez about whether officers were expected to go home after exposure and questions about how isolation time would be treated for payment and payroll purposes.
According to Cavazos, Rodriguez said employees exposed to infected employees will be referred to risk management which will evaluate the next steps.
Cavazos claims Rodriguez said that no one should be sent home for 14 days with no symptoms and no test results.
McAllen Police Association will continue to stay on top of these issues to insure all McAllen Officers taken care of during this crisis, the statement said.
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (Edited News Release) -- Beginning June 22, CoxHealth will begin testing patients for COVID-19 prior to all surgeries and select procedures.
This decision, which includes all hospitals and facilities, is made to help streamline care as disease prevalence rises throughout the region. The results of the tests will allow for the use of proper personal protective equipment as higher levels are required to prevent transmission of the virus and appropriate placement of patients within the hospitals. It will also foster a safe environment for staff and patients, and help contribute to health data about the prevalence of COVID in local communities.
CoxHealth began testing high-risk patients as the COVID pandemic began, but as we see prevalence in our community start to ruse, we feel we must know whether or not all of our patients are infected with coronavirus prior to surgery or procedures, says Karen Kramer, CHO and CoxHealths Incident Commander for COVID-19 response. It is important that we have this information so proper precautions may be taken if someone is infected, and help ensure the virus is not transferred to others.
Patients will be informed of where and when they should report for testing, which will be done approximately three days before a scheduled surgery or procedure. They are then asked to quarantine at home until their surgery to avoid contracting the virus.
Various testing locations are established throughout the area, helping patients stay close to home.
Its been a rough past few weeks for Oregon in its fight against the novel coronavirus, with new known daily cases continuing to climb to record levels.
Each week, the Oregon Health Authority releases a report outlining new infections by ZIP code, to show where the virus is surfacing the most. The Oregonian/OregonLive regularly crunches that data -- and searches for reasons the virus is spreading.
Gov. Kate Brown said Thursday that most new cases can be pegged to identified sources: agriculture, specific workplaces, nursing homes and other long-term care facilities, group living situations like jails and prisons and church or other gatherings.
But during a news conference earlier this week, state deputy epidemiologist Tom Jeanne said public health officials are concerned that the state hasnt been able to trace the source of 35 percent of new cases.
Heres a ZIP code breakdown of where the virus spread in the highest numbers in the week June 8-14, which is the latest data available by The Oregon Health Authority:
#1: 97850 -- La Grande area
This ZIP code saw the highest number of new COVID-19 cases in the state, with 86 people testing positive. Previously, public health officials had only identified fewer than 10 cases from February to early June.
Officials said the increase was due in large part to an outbreak at the Lighthouse United Pentecostal Church in Island City, a tiny town of 1,000 thats a suburb of La Grande in Union County. A May 24 video of a service showed congregants packed indoors together, singing and chanting without masks.
But the 86 new cases doesnt accurately cover the full scope of the outbreak: Public health officials said at least 236 people have tested positive, and most of those results came back on Monday and Tuesday of this week. That was too late to make it into the Oregon Health Authoritys latest weekly report.
The church represents the single largest outbreak in the state.
#2: 97233 -- Southeast Portland and Gresham
This area encompasses a chunk of Southeast Portland that stretches east into Greshams Rockwood neighborhood. It includes David Douglas High School and the blocks between Southeast 122nd and 202nd avenues.
Cases here jumped by 49 in a week -- to a total of 159 cases.
But there were no large outbreaks in nursing homes, churches or workplaces that would explain the elevated numbers, according to the Multnomah County Health Department.
County spokesperson Kate Willson said in an email that the disease in this area has been spreading in clusters in specific communities and families who socialize together and share households. Willson said a high percentage of these residents were essential workers who are at higher risk of being exposed to the virus.
#3: 97365 -- Newport
Cases here jumped by 43, to a total of 187 positive cases since the pandemic began.
Seven of those 43 cases were due to a new outbreak at Local Ocean, a seafood restaurant, which closed upon learning about the positive test results.
Owner Laura Anderson said in a Facebook post Sunday that all of those who tested positive were employees who worked in the kitchen.
Our service staff, those a customer would interact with, all tested negative, Anderson wrote.
Anderson added: We will let you know when we are ready to reopen the dining room, fish market and resume take out operations.
Friday, the fish market reopened.
Local Ocean only accounts for a small portion of the ZIP codes cases. Of the 43 new cases in the area, 18 were also traced to the food processor Pacific Seafood, which shares an address with the Local Ocean restaurant. A total of 145 infections have been linked to Pacific Seafood since early June.
This ZIP code has the highest per capita rate in Oregon, at about 16 cases per 1,000 people.
#4: 97236 -- Southeast Portland
This area is directly south of ZIP code 97233. It roughly covers the area around Powell Butte Nature Park.
The number of new cases here jumped by 41, to a total of 249 cases.
Public health officials have reported no new outbreaks at workplaces or adult care facilities in this area. But the area does include Healthcare at Foster Creek, a nursing home that was linked to 120 cases and 34 deaths. Public health officials, however, havent reported any new cases or deaths tied to the nursing home.
Like in the ZIP code 97233 just to the north, public health officials couldnt pinpoint a large outbreak as the source of 97236s increase in new cases. Willson, the county spokesperson, again said the jump in cases here was due to the high number of essential workers who are at greater risk of contracting the disease. Willson also said the disease was spreading among communities and families who socialize or live together.
#5: 97013 -- Canby
New cases here grew by 34 in a week, to a total of 98 cases.
An ongoing outbreak at Marquis Hope Village Post-Acute Rehab appears to be responsible for a big portion of COVID-19 infections in this ZIP code. At least 92 cases have been linked to the facility from June 4 to June 14. Seven people have died.
But its clear that some of the 92 cases are people who live outside of Canby. They are likely employees and close contacts of residents or employees.
According to data available Wednesday, 33 residents, 36 staff and apparently 23 other people have tested positive for the virus because of their connection to the facility.
The outbreak at Marquis Hope Village is the second largest at a long-term care facility in the state. Only Healthcare at Foster Creek in Southeast Portland has seen more cases, 120, and more deaths, 34.
#6: 97838 -- Hermiston
This ZIP code covers a large swath of Hermiston and some of outlying areas. Cases here increased by 24, reaching a total of 106 infections since the pandemic began.
The previous week, infections had increased by 14 -- so the disease has been spreading at a faster rate.
Its unclear whats driving the higher numbers. An outbreak at Medelez Trucking, which infected 27 people, appeared to be winding down. No one had come down with symptoms during the June 8-14 reporting period.
#7: 97303 -- Keizer
New infections jumped by 24 here, to 110 total cases logged since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis.
There has been no outbreak at a workplace, organized event or long-term care facility that can explain the rise.
But the Oregon Health Authority has identified six active workplace outbreaks in neighboring ZIP codes in Marion County. These active outbreaks have been ongoing at the Oregon State Penitentiary with 176 cases, Santiam Correctional Institution with 15 cases, Salem Hospital with 12, food processor Norpac with 11, food processor BrucePac with 7 and Amazon in Aumsville with 6 cases.
#8: 97305 -- Northeast of Salem
Cases here climbed by 20 in a week, bringing the total infections so far in this ZIP code to 141. This area encompasses the community of Brooks, and is just east of Keizer, across Interstate 5.
Again, like in Keizer, the Oregon Health Authority cant point to a single large outbreak in this ZIP code. But neighboring ZIP codes have struggled with workplace outbreaks.
#9: 97031 -- Hood River
This area saw cases rise by 20, to a total of 71.
A major contributor to new cases is the active outbreak at Duckwall Fruit, the pear packing company. The latest weekly report identified 16 new cases. A total of 61 cases have been identified at the facility since late May.
-- Aimee Green; agreen@oregonian.com; @o_aimee
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Parts of Pennsylvania that were among the hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic will move next week into the less restrictive green zone for reopening businesses and restarting group activities, the Wolf administration announced Friday.
State Department of Health officials also announced Friday one person with ties to a Northumberland County long-term care facility has died as a result of COVID-19, according to its latest data released Friday.
The 12 counties going from yellow to green under Gov. Tom Wolf's color-colored reopening system include Philadelphia and its heavily populated collar suburbs of Montgomery, Bucks, Chester and Delaware counties.
Other counties moving to green next week will be Lehigh and Northampton in the Lehigh Valley; Erie County, where local officials have pressed for looser restrictions; Lackawanna and Susquehanna counties in the northeast; and Berks and Lancaster counties.
The changes will encompass the cities of Allentown, Bethlehem, Erie, Scranton, Lancaster and Reading.
In the green zone, gyms, barbers and theaters can reopen at reduced capacity. Bars and restaurants may allow indoor dining, also at reduced capacity. Gatherings of up to 250 people are permitted in green zones.
Wolf, a Democrat, said local officials in Philadelphia will maintain some additional restrictions for an additional week, until July 3.
The only county left in the yellow zone is Lebanon County in central Pennsylvania. In a release, the Wolf administration blamed Republican county officials for voting to open about a month ago. A message was left seeking comment from the Lebanon County commissioners and the county administrator.
"Lebanon County's partisan, politically driven decision to ignore public health experts and reopen prematurely is having severe consequences for the health and safety of county residents," Wolf's health secretary, Dr. Rachel Levine, said in the release. "Case counts have escalated and the county is not yet ready to be reopened. Lebanon County has hindered its progress by reopening too early."
The number of new infections has been rising in Lebanon County since late May, increase from 88 new cases over the 14-day period ending May 28 to 213 new cases in the 14-day period ending Thursday.
A Republican state lawmaker from Lebanon, Rep. Russ Diamond, was prime sponsor of a resolution passed by both chambers earlier this month to end Wolf's shutdown. The state Supreme Court will decide whether that resolution carries any legal weight.
New cases
Health officials confirmed another two cases in nursing or personal care homes in the county, the only two additional cases in Northumberland County. There is also one new case in Union County.
According to the state's latest data, there are 18 total cases among residents and four employees of nursing or personal care homes in Northumberland County. There is also one case among workers at two separate facilities in Union County.
At least 17 of the 22 cases in Northumberland County are at ManorCare Health Services-Sunbury, according to the parent company's most recent set of facility data updated Thursday evening.
The state has not disclosed which facility housed the person who died, nor whether the individual was a resident or an employee.
A separate statewide database, last updated on June 10, does not indicate which county facilities have had positive cases. ManorCare-Sunbury, operated by HCR ManorCare based out of Ohio, shows on its latest system-wide data that it has tested 53 patients. Of the 53 tests, 13 have come back positive along with four employees. The facility, located at 901 Court St., is listed among HCR ManorCare's "tier 3" facilities, a designation that comes with more strict protocols.
Calls to the HCR ManorCare headquarters were not returned on Thursday.
State health officials announced another 526 cases on Friday, pushing the statewide total to 80,762. There were also 38 COVID-19 related deaths, giving Pennsylvania 6,399 deaths since tracking began in March.
In nursing and personal care homes across the state, there are 16,895 resident cases of COVID-19, and 3,012 cases among employees, for a total of 19,907 at 651 distinct facilities in 47 counties. Of the state's 6,399 deaths, 4,345 have been residents of nursing or personal care facilities.
Approximately 6,092 of Pennsylvania's total cases are in health care workers.
Since the state began tracking data in March, there have been 467 cases in the Valley: 254 in Northumberland County, 84 in Union, 68 in Montour and 61 in Snyder.
The DOH estimates 77 percent of the state's positives have recovered already.
Statewide, 725 patients remain hospitalized due to COVID-19, including 162 on ventilators. Four of the patients on ventilators are in Montour County.
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As states begin to re-open and professional and collegiatesports teams enter new phases of their return amid the coronavirus pandemic, the threat of the virus still remains. That has become evident in recent weeks as reports of players from numerous teams and cities testing positive for COVID-19.
Specifically, an increase in positive tests in the sports world came on Friday, June 19, as cases continue to spike in several states across the country. Here is a running list of teams and players that have tested positive for COVID-19:
The Phillies were among the multiple franchises to have players reportedly test positive for COVID-19 on Friday. NBC Sports Philadelphia's Jim Salisbury reported that five unnamed players that weretraining atthe teams facility in Clearwater, Fla., contracted coronavirus. Florida is one of the states seeing a massive surge in cases, as the state set a single-day record on Friday.
The team has since shut down all operations at the Clearwater facility. Salisbury reported that no players were hospitalized.
The Blue Jays shut down their facility inDunedin, Fla., on Thursday after a player showed symptoms of COVID-19, ESPN's Jeff Passan reported on Friday. Toronto's Spring Training facility is not too far from where the Phillies' outbreak happened.
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Another franchise impacted by its location in the spiking state of Florida, the Lightning had multiple personnel test positive for COVID-19, TSN's Bob McKenzie reported. Three players and two staff members reportedly make up the group that tested positive, and Tampa Bay will not test all other personnel.
The NHL had just advanced to Phase 2 of its return plan two weeks ago, but there are fewer restrictions on isolation at this time than there will be when the league send playoff teams to the two hub cities.
The Maple Leafs star has tested positive for COVID-19 and is currently isolating at his home in Arizona, the Toronto Sun's Steve Simmons reports. Arizona is another state that has seen a spike in positive cases after re-opening, but Matthews hopes to be able to travel to Toronto when the team's camp opens up on July 10.
An unnamed PGA player currently participating in the RBC Heritage tournament has reportedly tested positive, Nathan Hubbard tweeted on Friday. The PGA has yet to confirm the report, but word of the positive test has reportedly spread through the other players at the event.
28 student-athletes and members of the athletic staff at Clemson have tested positive for the virus, according tocollege football reporter Bruce Feldman. The Athletic's Grace Raynor reported that 23 of the players were members of the football team.
The school noted that a majority of the cases were asymptomatic and there were no hospitalizations.
The University of Texas announced on Thursday that 13 players in the football program tested positive for COVID-19. The announcement came just 10 days after the university brought players back to campus for workouts on June 8.
The league reported on June 15that several players have tested positive for COVID-19, but did not name any specific players or organizations.
Though concerning, some players found the announcement to come at an interesting time considering the league and MLBPA were at a boiling point over negotiations for the 2020 season.
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Also on June 15, it was reported that several Texans and Cowboys players had tested positive for coronavirus, according to ESPN's Todd Archer. Among them was Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliot. Elliott's agentRocky Arceneaux confirmed the reporttoNFL Network's Ian Rapoport.
Though some players experienced flu-like symptoms, Elliott was reportedly an asymptomatic carrier of the virus.
The Penguins announced on June 4 that an unnamed player in the organization tested positive. The team stated that the player was not in Pittsburgh and isolated immediately after he began experiencing symptoms.
The Redskins third-round draft pick announced in May that he had tested positive for the virus in March, but had since self-isolated and recovered. The wide receiver out of Liberty had not been around any other Redskins personnel.
Georgetown men's basketball head coach Patrick Ewing announced on May 22that he tested positive for COVID-19. After isolating in a local hospital, Ewing has since shared that he has returned home to continue to recover.
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Nearly two-thirds of Northern Virginia's deaths due to COVID-19 have occurred in outbreaks at the region's long-term care facilities, according to an InsideNoVa analysis of Virginia Department of Health data released Friday.
At least 557 patients at the region's nursing homes and assisted living centers have died from the virus since the pandemic began in March, the analysis shows. The Northern Virginia region has reported 853 deaths altogether as of Thursday. The number of deaths at the long-term facilities is actually slightly higher than that because exact numbers for facilities with between one and four deaths was not reported in order to protect individuals' privacy. For analysis purposes, InsideNoVa assumed those facilities had one death apiece.
The number of cases at the region's facilities totals 3,181, or about 10.6 percent of the region's nearly 30,000 coronavirus cases. Cases at the facilities include both patients and staff, the health department said.
Among Northern Virginia's five health districts, Loudoun County has the highest percentage of its COVID-19 deaths at long-term care facilities, 76.8%. The lowest is 40.8% in the Prince William Health District, although that number is probably higher due to the number of facilities with suppressed data.
The Prince William district, which includes the cities of Manassas and Manassas Park, also had the lowest percentage of its COVID-19 cases at long-term facilities, 4.9%. The highest percentage is 20.5% in Arlington.
State and local health departments had previously refused to release specific data about outbreaks in long-term care facilities, citing a section of state code. However, Gov. Ralph Northam ordered the data released Friday.
"Due to the widespread nature of this pandemic, it is now unlikely that releasing facility information would compromise anonymity or discourage facilities from participating in a public health investigation," a release from the governor's office said. The release also cited recently released data from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services that has been inconsistent, creating public confusion.
The federal data released two weeks ago showed that the region had 241 deaths and 903 cases of COVID-19 at nursing homes, but the data did not include assisted-living facilities, which fall under different regulations, some information was incorrectly reported, and facilities were only required to report cases and deaths since May 1. Some facilities reported cumulative data since the pandemic began, however, causing more inconsistencies.
The data released by the state today includes outbreaks at both nursing homes and long-term care facilities and is cumulative based on reporting to the state health department. An outbreak is defined as two or more cases of the virus.
Eight facilities across the region have reported more than 20 deaths due to COVID-19, with Annandale Healthcare Center reporting the most, 51, followed by Leewood Healthcare Center in Fairfax with 35 and Birmingham Green in Manassas with 33.
Nine facilities reported more than 100 cases of the virus among patients and staff.
Earlier article on data release and Gov. Northam's announcement of additional aid for long-term care facilities.
SOURCE: Virginia Department of Health data released June 19, 2020.
* - Facility had between 1 and 4 outbreaks or deaths; exact number suppressed for privacy reasons.
The Office of Personnel Management on Thursday announced that it is planning to issue regulations to allow agencies to restore federal employees' so-called "use or lose" annual leave that was canceled so they could work on the response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Ordinarily, federal workers can only carry over so much annual leave from year to year. Any unused leave over that cap is forfeited at the end of the year. Leave that is lost at the end of a year can only be restored to federal workers if it was forfeited due to an administrative error, an employee being ill, or if leave was canceled due to an "exigency of the public business."
In a memo to agency heads, acting OPM Director Michael Rigas said his agency will issue regulations officially deeming COVID-19 a national emergency to fulfill that "exigency of public business" requirement and to streamline procedures to restore leave to feds.
"Please know that OPM plans to issue regulations in the near future that will streamline the leave restoration process for agencies that have employees with 'use or lose' annual leave who are unable to use this leave because of work-related requirements related to the COVID-19 national emergency," he wrote. "The regulations will deem the COVID-19 national emergency to be an exigency of the public business for the purpose of restoring forfeited annual leave."
Rigas stressed that the forthcoming regulations will only cover federal employees who had to cancel leave because of their work responding to the pandemic, not because they had to cancel vacations or travel plans.
"An employee's decision to cancel annual leave he or she had previously scheduled or not schedule annual leave due to the cancellation of vacation or travel plans because of COVID-19 restrictions does not constitute an exigency of the public [business] for the purposes of restoration of annual leave," he wrote.
Additionally, the regulations will not allow for restoration of leave that is scheduled but canceled late in the year.
"An agency may restore annual leave that was forfeited due to an exigency of the public business or sickness of the employee only if the annual leave was scheduled in writing before the start of the third biweekly pay period prior to the end of the leave year," Rigas wrote. "Any annual leave scheduled after that date will be forfeited if not used by the final day of the leave year."
Given these restrictions, Rigas stressed that agencies should "work with their employees" to make sure they schedule and use their annual leave if possible. Under the forthcoming regulations, agencies will be required to inform employees if they are eligible for leave restoration.
"Agency heads will be required to identify any employees covered under this annual leave restoration authority and inform them in writing of this designation," Rigas wrote. "This means that agencies and their employees will not be faced with the administrative burden of scheduling, cancelingand restoring such leave for these employees at a time when all available attention and energy should be focused on the national emergency."
Although Rigas said the regulation would be published "in the near future," he did not provide a specific target date for its release.
