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U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency
Office of the Director
Washington, DC 20528
March 19, 2020
MEMORANDUM ON IDENTIFICATION OF ESSENTIAL CRITICAL
INFRASTRUCTURE WORKERS DURING COVID-19 RESPONSE
FROM: Christopher C. Krebs
Director
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)
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As the Nation comes together to slow the spread of COVID-19, on March 16 , the President issued
updated Coronavirus Guidance for America. This guidance states that:
“If you work in a critical infrastructure industry, as defined by the Department of
Homeland Security, such as healthcare services and pharmaceutical and food supply, you
have a special responsibility to maintain your normal work schedule.”
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) executes the Secretary of Homeland
Security’s responsibilities as assigned under the Homeland Security A ct of 2002 t o provide strategic
guidance, promote a national unity of effort, and coordinate the overall federal effort to ensure the
security and resilience of the Nation's critical infrastructure . CISA uses trusted partnerships with
both the public and private sectors to deliver infrastructure resilience assistance and guidance to a
broad range of partners.
In accordance with this mandate, and in collaboration with other federal agencies and the priva te
sector, CISA developed an initial list of “Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers” to help State and
local officials as they work to protect the ir communities, while ensuring continuity of funct ions
critical to public health and safety, as well as economic and national security. The list can also
inform critical infrastructure communit y decisio-nmaking to determine the sectors, sub-sectors,
segments, or critical functions that should continue normal operations, appropriately modified to
account for Centers for Disease Control (CDC) workforce and customer protection guidance.
The attached list identifies workers who conduct a range of operations and services that are essential
to continued critical infrastructure viability, including staffing operations centers, maintaining and
repairing c ritical infrastructure, operating c all centers, wor king construction, and performing
management functions, among others. The industries they support represent, but are not necessarily
limited to, medical and healthcare, telecommunications, information technology systems, defense ,
food and agriculture, transportation and logistics, energy, water and wastewater, law enforcement ,
and public works.
