As the United States topped 1 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, the number of federal employees who have tested positive for the virus has surpassed 10,000.
While most federal employees are still teleworking, many agencies have missions that cannot be performed remotely and hundreds of thousands of federal workers continue reporting to their work stations. Federal offices, like those in all sectors in the country, have struggled to keep their employees safe. Workers have complained of insufficient protective supplies, equipment and distancing policies. The total number of positive cases within the federal workforce has more than quadrupled since early April.
At some agencies, employees are instructed to continue working even after exposure to the virus. At others, thousands of workers are home on quarantine as they await test results or to see whether symptoms develop. The work of the government must go on, however, leaving employees exposed to the novel coronavirus. Here’s a look at the agencies in which the most federal workers have contracted COVID-19.
Defense Department: As of Tuesday afternoon, the Pentagon had confirmed 1,091 cases among civilian workers. An additional 4,265 military personnel tested positive, as well as 427 contractors.
Veterans Affairs Department: VA has confirmed 1,633 cases among its Veterans Health Administration employees. VA employees have expressed significant concern about the lack of personal protective equipment, policies that threaten discipline or loss of pay if they do not come in after exposure and poor communication from management. Twenty VA employees have died from symptoms related to the virus.
U.S. Postal Service: USPS has confirmed 1,606 employees tested positive for the virus in i ..
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