More of the first volunteers are starting to trickle back to their desks at federal agencies in the coronavirus lockdown. In the third month after Americans began sheltering in place and worksites began closing, the Energy Department says the first voluntary returns of a small number of headquarters workers began Monday.

The State Department and Agriculture Department also have some workers returning to job places this month. But a surge in cases in Boston and Dallas has led the Environmental Protection Agency to put on hold its timeline for getting workers back to regional offices there.