Hundreds of employees at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have been rehired just days after being abruptly dismissed.
This move comes after the agency issued layoff notices to around 1,300 staff members late Friday night.
According to the American Federation of Government Employees, roughly 700 workers have since been reinstated, while about 600 remain without jobs.
Andrew Nixon, director of communications for the US Department of Health and Human Services, “The employees who received incorrect notifications were never separated from the agency and have all been notified that they are not subject to the reduction in force,” according to CNN.
Some of the rehired CDC employees worked on the agency's main scientific journal, the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
President Donald Trump has often said he wants to use the shutdown to reduce the number of federal employees.
As per the outlet, Athalia Christie, who is in charge of managing the CDC's efforts against the measles outbreak was among the workers who were wrongly fired on Friday.
In addition to this, workers at major CDC divisions, including the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, the Global Health Center and the Public Health Infrastructure Center have also been rehired.
