As the United States approaches the ominous threshold of 100,000 deaths resulting from the novel coronavirus pandemic, federal agencies on the frontlines of the fight against the virus are seeing growing death tolls as well.
While the rate of coronavirus spread in the federal workforce has slowed somewhat, as it has in the country as a whole, hundreds of thousands of employees continue to operate at their normal workstations or in deployments specifically to fight the pandemic. Some agencies are slowly starting to recall their workers back to their offices, increasing the risk for additional exposure. 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 federal employee death toll now stands at least at 127, according to a non-comprehensive tally by Government Executive.
At some agencies, employees are instructed to continue working even after exposure to the virus. At others, thousands of workers have spent weeks at home on quarantine as they awaited test results or to see whether symptoms develop. As many of those workers return to the offices, federal employees are looking to ensure proper screening and testing protocols are in place to avoid further tragedy. Here is a look at some of the agencies that have seen the highest death totals:
U.S. Postal Service: The mailing agency has seen 60 postal workers die from symptoms related to COVID-19. About 2,400 have tested positive for coronavirus-related disease while a whopping 17,000—or 3% of the USPS workforce—have been sent home on quarantine.
Veterans Affairs Department: Thirty VA workers have lost their lives from the coronavirus pandemic. VA employees have these federal agencies covid deaths
