The FDA has temporarily halted all domestic inspections and is directing most of its employees to begin teleworking.
Employees who work in labs or have to monitor imported products will be exempt from the teleworking rule, the agency said.
The agency said its decision to stop inspections was "for the health and well-being" of its staff, it still plans to conduct inspections it considers "mission-critical," and will continue to respond to natural disasters, outbreaks and other public health emergencies involving FDA-regulated products.
It didn't specify what qualifies as mission-critical.
The FDA said it still has full confidence in the safety and quality of products and believes the facilities it would typically inspect "understand and appreciate their shared responsibility to ensure the integrity of the supply chain."
Read the full news release here.