NOAA to workers: Mum's the word when it comes to COVID-19

摘要

NOAA Fisheries has found a new strategy for communicating information related to the runaway coronavirus pandemic: Don't mention it. "Make no reference to anything COVID related," the agency said in a memo offering "internal guidance" to its employees. According to the memo, that's "Option 1," or the "preferred approach." "For this option, focus on the specific facts, impacts, etc., that have resulted in needing to take action," the memo said. "No reference to any stay-at-home orders, travel restrictions, or anything COVID related is needed." The memo is causing a stir among lawmakers, with Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), chairman of the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Oceans and Wildlife, yesterday asking acting NOAA Director Neil Jacobs for an explanation. In a letter to Jacobs, Huffman said, "it is alarming that your agency has issued internal guidance to limit references to the pandemic in its communications." "To try to manage resources under your jurisdiction without any mention of COVID during a time in which COVID is impacting nearly every part of our lives is simply unacceptable," Huffman said.