COVID-19 has impacted our entire country and the world. Many businesses, organizations, and governmental agencies have shifted to working in a virtual environment or have been required to shut down to minimize the spread. However, public works operations have continued to provide their essential functions to maintain our infrastructure, whether streets, storm water maintenance, water utilities, sewer operations, traffic control devices, or maintaining government buildings, including those used by the public. This session discusses the various strategies (PPE, use of technology, minimizing contact) to ensure employee’s safety adopted by public works agencies throughout the country to respond to the pandemic. Presenters will also discuss some positive benefits this situation has created such as expedited technology usage in public works that has allowed more efficiency and impact to services provided. Pandemics and natural disasters, like hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, or earthquakes, demonstrate that public works professionals are first responders and are vital to our society. These dedicated employees have had to adjust and update how they do work, what resources they use, and how they communicate in a short period of time. Public works staff have kept working in operations while managing COVID-19 concerns and risks, which has allowed our supplies, emergency response, and commerce to keep flowing. They have also permitted residents and businesses to have clean water and disposal of liquid and solid waste, safe streets to drive on, and facilities to use. They have accepted new responsibilities and are able to adapt quickly. Public works has again shown as always, to be first to respond and last to leave. This COVID-19 crisis shows just how public works have adapted and provided necessary support to keep infrastructure functioning for citizens, users, and business in this most challenging time. Based on article published in APWA Reporter.