DHS Announcement: CISA Releases Guidance on Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers During COVID-19

On May 19, 2020, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) released version 3.1 of its Guidance on the Essential Critical Infrastructure Workforce. Version 3.1 provides clarity around many individual worker categories, including expanded language for those workers supporting at-risk communities and the essential nature of health facility workers in communities across the country. The revision also includes updated language to better reflect terminology used in food and agriculture industries, and includes other minor technical adjustments. Further, it addresses changes in the daily lives and routines driven by COVID, adding as essential those who enable telehealth and the availability and sale of goods and services to enable home schooling.

This Guidance is not a federal mandate, and final decision on its use remains with state and local officials, who must determine how to balance public health and safety with the need to maintain and/or more fully return-to-work critical infrastructure personnel in their communities. As the nation’s response to and recovery from COVID-19 continues to evolve, CISA will work in close coordination with our partners across government and industry to update this list as needed. 

The degree to which state and local orders have already leveraged this Guidance when defining essential workers is encouraging. Equally, we hope this revised guidance helps you as your community continues to respond to and recover from the impacts of COVID-19. Please direct any questions on this guidance and its use to CISA.CAT@cisa.dhs.gov.