FEMA Says at Least 7 People at the Disaster Agency Have the Coronavirus - The New York ... - 0 views
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The agency leading the nation’s coronavirus response said that seven of its employees had tested positive for the virus with another four cases pending
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Union leaders last week had asked the agency, Federal Emergency Management Agency, how many employees had tested positive, and in which offices, so that workers who might have interacted with those people could decide whether to get tested as well
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“If we’re out there handing out masks and gloves, and we’ve got Covid, then they’re contaminated,” said Mr. Reaves, referring to the disease caused by the coronavirus.
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The concern over the health and safety of FEMA employees comes as the agency is already stretched thin by three years of major natural disasters.
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The virus, however, is forcing the agency to rethink that approach. It has urged its staff to work from home when possible, and distance themselves from their colleagues when it isn’t. FEMA has also restricted the number of disaster victims who are allowed inside its field offices at once, and has made it easier for states to shelter victims in hotels or other settings where they don’t have to be crammed together.
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“FEMA has taken every precaution recommended by the C.D.C. to protect all employees,” Ms. Litzow added, referring to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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Mr. Reaves said that at least two other people who worked in the office had since told him that they were self-isolating out of concern that they were exposed.
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Some FEMA officials had grown concerned over how crowded its headquarters had become since President Trump tapped the disaster agency to lead his administration’s response to the coronavirus.
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FEMA’s communications office did not say if any employees are self-isolating because they have symptoms.
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The office also didn’t comment on its decision to decline the union’s request to find out which offices have had confirmed cases.
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In its letter to the union, the agency suggested that providing that information could violate employees’ privacy. At some FEMA locations, the agency said