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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention headquarters in Atlanta was much quieter on Wednesday, after the government shutdown forced thousands of employees off the job.
“It’s like a dead zone,” one CDC worker told FOX 5. “A lot of sad faces.”
CDC staff furloughed
More than half of the CDC’s staff, about 8,700 employees, have been furloughed, according to plans published by the Department of Health and Human Services.
Of those, 1,500 could lose their jobs altogether, the plan says.
SEE ALSO: Government shutdown begins: Here’s how it could impact Georgia
“For those of us who are still working there, morale has never been lower, honestly,” Peter Farruggia, chairman of AFGE Local 3883, said. “I have been furloughed today, and we don’t know how long this government shutdown will last.”
According to the documents, research into public health risks, disease prevention, opioid overdoses, diabetes, and HIV has stopped.
The agency says it will, “continue monitoring disease outbreaks and protecting human life and property.”
First the CDC shooting, now the shutdown
Farruggia said that even before the shutdown, morale was falling.
He pointed to a mass exodus of doctors and experts after the August shooting at the CDC, along with funding cuts and policy changes from the Trump administration.
“There’s going to be some pretty immediate effects across a lot of different health programs,” Farruggia said.
He added that federal money for state and local health departments could also be affected.
SEE ALSO: TSA agents in Atlanta work without pay amid shutdown
Meanwhile, there is growing concern over the economic impacts from the shutdown.
“It’s going to have a ripple effect in the city of Atlanta if it’s not taken care of right away,” Atlanta Councilmember Marci Collier Overstreet, District 11, said. “There is no way that we’re going to be fine if we have thousands of employees furloughed or fired.”
How long will the shutdown last?
The furlough notices sent to employees say the agency expects the shutdown to last less than 30 days.
However, with no deal reached in Washington, that timeline is uncertain.
Overstreet promised the city would help connect affected workers with local nonprofits for assistance.
