Federal Jobs on the Frontline of COVID-19 Crisis

USPS, TSA, and ICE are three Federal Agencies who face tough decisions as the nation grapples with the COVID-19 Crisis

As of last week, there were less than 30 mail carriers who had tested positive for the novel coronavirus that is causing society to halt a lot of activity. A more serious outbreak among the workforce could be devastating, however, as delivery of mail remains crucial. Medicine, packages, election ballots, and other items need to be reliably delivered even when the consensus of health authorities advise the majority of the population to stay in their homes. The Postmaster-General has been adamant, though, that “there is no evidence the virus can spread through the mail.”

While the United States Postal Service (USPS) must remain functioning, thus placing their employees at relative risk, the TSA (Transportation Security Administration) and their employees in airports were some of the first federal employees to be impacted by COVID-19. The infectious virus was able to escalate to a global phenomenon primarily through international air travel. When traveling, carriers of the coronavirus were required to pass through security checkpoints and come into close contact with TSA agents. Like the USPS, there are less than 30 employees who are confirmed to have the virus, but the health threat is obviously prevalent in their line of work. Of the three main airports in the DC area, only Dulles is known to have a TSA guard who contracted COVID-19.

The Postal Service is at risk because they must travel to various locations and the airport security agents are at risk because people who have traveled to various locations interact with them. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Officers located at detention centers are at risk for a different reason- large concentrations of people. As some prisons across the country are letting nonviolent inmates out of jail, there have been calls for ICE to release nonviolent immigrants in their custody.

Until Next Time, 

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COVID-19 Crisis