‘Read this email immediately’: CDC calls 180 employees back to work 2 weeks after firing

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The nation’s top public health agency is inviting about 180 employees back to work, about two weeks after laying them off.

Emails went out Tuesday to some Centers for Disease Control and Prevention probationary employees who got termination notices last month, according to current and former CDC employees.

A message seen by the AP was sent with the subject line, “Read this e-mail immediately.” It said that “after further review and consideration,” a Feb. 15 termination notice has been rescinded and the employee was cleared to return to work on Wednesday. “You should return to duty under your previous work schedule. We apologize for any disruption that this may have caused,” it said.

About 180 people received reinstatement emails, according to two federal health officials who were briefed on the tally but were not authorized to discuss it and spoke on condition of anonymity.

It’s not clear how many of them returned to work Wednesday. And it’s also unclear whether the employees would be spared from further widespread job cuts that are expected soon across government agencies.

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