COVID-19 vs. FOIA: The virus is winning

By Mike Soraghan and Jennifer Yachnin, E&E News, Mar. 18, 2020

The coronavirus may be starting to disrupt the release of government information, in addition to everyday life.

FBI officials have told attorneys for Freedom of Information Act requesters that the agency's Records Management Division is closed until at least the end of March, BuzzFeed News reported yesterday. And the agency is no longer accepting FOIA requests electronically. Instead, they must be mailed.

In Washington, WUSA reported that the D.C. Council approved emergency legislation that, among many other items, extends deadlines for FOIA requests.

Read more here.