Federal workers apprehensive of returning to offices

WASHINGTON — Returning Internal Revenue Service workers in Kansas City are being directed to a room wellstocked with face masks, while some other IRS offices were still telling staffers to buy or make their own as the Trump administration starts rolling out a plan for returning more of the 2 million federal workers to job sites.

The administration says the broad discretion in its coronavirus guidelines will allow agency heads to get federal workers back first in areas where rates of cases are lower and where protective measures are robust.

Officials for unions representing the government’s civilian workforce are expressing cautious approval at some of the plans being drawn up, but they still fear workers will be ordered back and risk infection as President Trump tries to reopen the U.S. economy.

So far, it’s only a partial return bringing back comparatively few of the federal employees sent home for safety. But with the U.S. still among the hardest hit in the outbreak, some federal workers fear they’ll be political pawns.

Federal guidelines call for phased returns based partly on local conditions, such as whether there have been 14 straight days of declining cases of coronavirus and flu. But the guidelines largely shy away from mandates, such as any directives to make protective gear available to all workers.

Office of Management and Budget spokesman Rob Kuhlman defended the administration’s approach.

“It’s no surprise Democrats continue to play politics, but the fact is agencies have been given clear and consistent guidance ... to maximize telework, and they are now working to return to normal operations as conditions warrant across each state,” Kuhlman said.