To: All Employees. 

I have authorized the following facilities to begin implementing the workplace safety measures associated with substantial transmission levels in our Updated Reentry and Post-Reentry Plan.

• Jimmy Carter Presidential Library at Atlanta, GA
• Atlanta Federal Records Center (FRC) at Ellenwood, GA
• Atlanta Archives at Morrow, GA
• Lenexa FRC at Lenexa, KS
• New York Archives at New York City, NY
• George H.W. Bush Presidential Library at College Station, TX
• George W. Bush Presidential Library at Dallas, TX

Effective today, these seven facilities are no longer subject to an occupancy limit for staff and staff may return to the facility for on-site work on a voluntary basis. Beginning March 14, local managers at all seven facilities are authorized to require staff to report to the facility when they are needed for on-site work. On and after March 14, staff at these facilities are no longer eligible for incentive payments for on-site work. Staff will be provided at least seven days of advance notice before being required to return to the facility for on-site work. Staff should not return to the worksite until you are contacted by your supervisor and have scheduled your return.

Research rooms at the Carter, G.H.W. Bush, and G.W. Bush Presidential Libraries and the Atlanta and New York Archives will reopen to the public at 50 percent occupancy on March 14. Museums at the three libraries will expand occupancy to 50 percent beginning March 14.

These facilities were considered for progression to less stringent workplace safety measures based on our current Reentry Plan, dated October 1, 2021, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) four-tier COVID-19 transmission levels (High, Substantial, Moderate, and Low). Later today, we will issue updated workplace safety procedures based on the CDC’s new, three-tiered community levels (High, Medium, and Low) and implementing guidance from the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force. All seven facilities are located in counties where weekly public health metrics are now under 100 new cases per 100,000 population and less than 10 percent positivity. Local public health data for each NARA facility is posted weekly to the ICN COVID-19 Coronavirus Resources page here.

Unfortunately, local public health conditions have regressed at seven of the facilities that lifted occupancy limits last week. The San Bruno Archives and FRC, Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, National Archives Building at Washington, DC, Office of the Federal Register and Office of Government Information Services, Chicago Archives and FRC, Barack Obama Presidential Library, and Philadelphia Archives and FRC were all in substantial or high transmission levels last week and have since regressed to high transmission levels. These facilities will continue to operate without occupancy limits but will cancel all mandatory recalls scheduled for the week of March 7.

As of today, nine of NARA’s 40 occupied facilities have implemented the workplace safety measures associated with substantial transmission levels. An additional 14 facilities have lifted occupancy limits for staff volunteers only and are preparing to progress to full implementation. All other facilities continue to maintain safety measures associated with high transmission levels. We will continue to monitor local public health metrics at all NARA facilities and will adjust our workplace safety measures when local conditions require a change.

Thank you for your patience and flexibility as we carefully reopen our facilities and begin to restore our mission functions and operations, where appropriate.  

DAVID S. FERRIERO
Archivist of the United States