San Francisco Federal Workers Advised To Work Remotely Because Of Safety Concerns

Bruce Haring
·1 min read
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The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has told its hundreds of employees in San Francisco that it’s too dangerous to come in to the office.

HHS Assistant Secretary for Administration Cheryl R. Campbell issued the stay-home recommendation in an Aug. 4 memo to regional leaders, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

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“In light of the conditions at the (Federal Building) we recommend employees … maximize the use of telework for the foreseeable future,” Campbell wrote in the memo, a copy of which was obtained by The Chronicle.

The move underlines the spiral downward in the city, which has seen many companies abandon their outlets and workers shun coming in to offices in the city. The continued lack of foot traffic — exacerbated by open drug use among the street population — has many observers saying San Francisco is in a “doom loop,” in which negative events trigger more negative events, leading to an endless decline in quality of life.

The HHS memo underlines the dangers outside of the Nancy Pelosi Federal Building on Seventh Street in the south of Market district. The 18-story tower at the corner of Seventh and Mission houses several federal agencies, including the departments of Labor and Transportation, as well as Pelosi’s office. It is unclear if the other agencies have issued similar advisories.

The area is reportedly also home to one of the city’s most brazen open-air drug markets on a daily basis.

Ironically, the memo from HHS came to light as President Joe Biden’s White House Chief of Staff called on more federal workers to return to the office.

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