Limit Travel Assignments Due to Zika Risk, OPM Says

OPM has encouraged agencies to limit assignments of employees to areas where the Zika virus has been detected, stressing that the CDC has issued its highest-level travel alert. “With the worldwide mobility of the federal workforce, agencies should monitor this situation closely. We urge supervisors and managers to be mindful of the health risks in determining the need for work-related travel to Zika-affected areas. We recommend using appropriate flexibility to accomplish the necessary work using alternate means, such as teleconferencing. Supervisors should carefully consider requests from employees who wish to opt out of this travel, and/or solicit qualified volunteers if travel is necessary,” it said. It said agencies and employees should refer to the CDC for the latest listing of countries and territories where transmission has occurred–including much of Central and South America and the Caribbean–and for information on preventive measures and the possible effects including birth defects in children born to infected women and Guillain-Barré syndrome.