Dear Atlantic Council Community,

As our team nears the end of our second full week of remote work, I am writing to provide an update on the Atlantic Council’s response to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

In light of the virus’ spread throughout the broader Washington, DC, area, the United States and wider world, the Atlantic Council has extended its period of remote work from April 3 through April 24, in accordance with Washington, DC, and other regional regulations. We will continue to monitor and re-evaluate our response plan and keep our community apprised with any new developments. While we will need to remain nimble, we wanted to take this decision now to give our team a bit more clarity in their planning for the weeks ahead.

As always, our priority remains the health and safety of our community.

Regardless of when we return to the office, the Atlantic Council remains committed to flexible policies that allow our team to take care of their families during this unprecedented time of need. While schools in Washington, DC, and Maryland are currently due to resume classes on Monday, April 27, schools in Virginia have cancelled classes through the end of this academic year, as have many colleges and universities across the country. As a number of members of our community reside in Virginia, we stand ready to assist in any way we can to provide a flexible working environment for our colleagues.

The Atlantic Council has risen to the challenge as a committed and results-oriented team. I recognize that the pressures on each of us are unique – some with caring for elderly family members, some with childcare, some with personal isolation and all with some sort of disruption to our daily lives.

I am terribly proud of the innovative, caring and collaborative spirit (a wonderful contrast to our social distancing), with which our team has managed this tumultuous time.

The Atlantic Council continues to innovate as it responds to this global crisis, delivering our content and convening across a number of new and previously existing digital platforms. By doing so, we have ramped up to meet the crisis – helping our community navigate the crisis through real-time access to crucial insights with some of the best global minds on matters ranging from global finance and energy to the host of regional issues triggered by this worldwide pandemic.

For more information about the Atlantic Council’s coronavirus programming, please sign up to our Coronavirus Alert here and go to our coronavirus page here.

Stay close – through technology – to family and colleagues. And help us advance our mission of shaping the future together with partners and allies. Perhaps never has this mission had greater urgency.

All my best,

Frederick Kempe
President and CEO
Atlantic Council

If you have any questions, please email us at coronavirus@atlanticcouncil.org.