Infrastructure Briefing — CISA updates essential critical infrastructure workforce guidance
CISA’s Version 3.0 guidance reaffirms that essential critical infrastructure workers must keep energy, communications, and supply chains running through COVID-19 restrictions, directing state and industry partners to protect their access and safety.
Executive briefing: CISA’s Version 3.0 Guidance on the Essential Critical Infrastructure Workforce reconfirms that utilities, manufacturing, transportation, food, and communications crews must keep operating under COVID-19 restrictions. Program leaders should use the refreshed lists to keep permits moving, document workforce justifications, and make sure personal protective equipment, housing, and mental health support reach front-line teams.
Operational priorities for April 2020
- Protect access letters and staging plans. Align your employee and contractor rosters to CISA’s sector definitions so law enforcement checkpoints and curfews do not strand grid, logistics, or telecom responders.
- Harden continuity for converged IT/OT crews. Pre-stage relief teams, remote monitoring kits, and backup connectivity for control rooms identified as essential services.
- Health & welfare guardrails. Tie return-to-work protocols, quarantine rotations, and temporary housing to the cross-sector worker health expectations in the guidance.
Source excerpts
Primary — CISA guidance: “Functioning critical infrastructure is imperative during the response to the COVID-19 emergency for both public health and safety as well as community well-being. Certain critical infrastructure industries have a special responsibility in these times to continue operations.”
CISA — Essential Critical Infrastructure Workforce Version 3.0 (April 17, 2020)
Primary — Community resilience: “This document gives advisory guidance on defining essential critical infrastructure workers. Promoting the ability of such workers to continue to work during periods of community restriction… is crucial to community resilience and continuity of essential functions.”
CISA — Essential Critical Infrastructure Workforce Version 3.0