Washington, D.C. 20530

January 17, 2001

MEMORANDUM FOR BUREAU PERSONNEL OFFICERS

SUBJECT:      Unscheduled Leave for January 18, 2001

This provides the attached memorandum from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) concerning the effects of the Presidential Inaugural Opening Celebration to take place at the Lincoln Memorial beginning at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, January 18, 2001. A crowd exceeding 200,000 people is expected, and major bridges and streets in the area will be closed, resulting in severe traffic problems, especially for employees entering or leaving Northern Virginia.

Federal employees whose duty stations are in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area are urged to request annual leave, previously earned compensatory time off, or leave without pay for the entire work day of January 18. Employees who are on alternative work schedules (AWS) may wish to schedule their AWS day off or use available credit hours. Employees who wish to work should be advised to plan for extra commuting time, and to consider taking unscheduled leave in the afternoon to avoid problems during the evening rush hour.

If members of your staff have questions concerning this matter, they may contact Margaret Foskey, of the Personnel Staff's Policy Group, at (202) 514-6778. Questions from employees should be directed to appropriate staff in their servicing personnel offices.

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