The Foreign Service Journal, July-August 2020

16 JULY-AUGUST 2020 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL TALKING POINTS A s summer approached, the corona- virus pandemic continued to cause massive disruptions to the Foreign Service. All of the foreign affairs agencies have severely restricted travel since mid-March, and most personnel have been working from home. Only mission-critical person- nel have been allowed to work in embas- sies and other State Department facilities. OnMay 1, the Office of the Under Secretary for Management released “Diplomacy Strong: Phased Approach to Adjusting COVIDMitigation,” comprehen - sive guidelines for reopening, including permanent change of station (PCS) plans, which have been on hold for several months. And in early June, the department announced it would gradually resume PCS travel beginning June 15, depending on the gaining and losing post as defined by the Diplomacy Strong guidelines. Following guidance from the White House and the Centers for Disease Con- trol and Prevention, Diplomacy Strong provides steps and conditions for getting Department of State employees back out into the field while prioritizing the safety and health of all employees, especially the most vulnerable. It follows a conditions- based approach, phased to balance speed and risk. Conditions for return are being evalu- ated at the individual post level. Chiefs of mission, emergency action commit- tees and local management are to make decisions in conjunction with the State Department’s Office of the Under Secre- tary for Management. Diplomacy Strong spells out three phases of return, depending on the condi- tion of the post or location in question. It envisions up to 40 percent of people returning to offices and embassies in Phase I, up to 80 percent in Phase II (pos- sibly in alternating teams), and 80 percent or more in Phase III. Fourteen days of improved conditions, spelled out in the plan, are required to move from one phase to the next. Mission-critical employees may begin PCS travel to countries or locations under Phase I, but must bring a telework-ready device in case of travel delays. Family members can accompany these employ- ees only with the approval of the chief of mission and the Office of the Under Secretary for Management. Under Phase II, more employees may transfer to new posts, and family mem- bers may accompany these employees with chief-of-mission approval, depend- ing on available services and transporta- tion options. In Phase III, full PCS travel resumes. Under all three phases, vulnerable employees are advised to continue to tele- work. The plan also calls for various levels of social distancing when people do return to the office. USAID has developed a similar three- phased plan, called “Roadmap to Return.” “USAID’s approach to returning offi- cers and their families to post is incre- mental, conditions-based and location- specific,” the agency stated in a letter to FS family members. “It is not time-based. Each post will move through three phases of return, with each transition responsive to evolving data, information and guid- ance from local authorities.” The U.S. Commercial Service plans to follow State Department guidelines to get people back out into the field, and the Foreign Agricultural Service expected to send one employee to Beijing in June whose job it would be to lay the ground- work for other FAS staff to return to consulates in China. U.S. Embassies Address George Floyd Killing U .S. embassies and ambassadors in many countries around the world took the unusual step of issuing state- ments in the wake of the May 25 police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis calling for law enforcement accountabil- Diplomacy Strong: Getting Back into the Field Contemporary Quote George Floyd’s brutal killing, hundreds of thousands of the world’s most vulnerable people succumbing to a global pandemic, the crushing economic cost of lockdowns borne by the poorest among us, remind us that we cannot wait for justice or to recognize each other’s humanity. … As an African-American, for as long as I can remember I have known that my rights and my body were not fully my own. I have also always known that America, conceived in liberty, has always aspired to be better—a shining city on a hill—and that is why I have dedicated my life to her service. … Americans will continue to speak out for justice whether at home or abroad. We can meet the ideals of our founding; we can change this world for the better. —Brian A. Nichols, U.S. ambassador to Zimbabwe, in a statement issued following a meeting with Zimbabwean Foreign Minister S.B. Moyo, June 1.