Date: 202007
Local time of day: 1201-1800
Location: ZAB.ARTCC, NM
Aircraft: No Aircraft
Reporter organization: Government
Reporter function: Enroute
Reporter qualification: Air Traffic Control Fully Certified
Anomaly: ATC Issue All Types
Detector: Person Air Traffic Control
Result: General None Reported / Taken
Contributing factors: Environment - Non Weather Related; Airspace Structure; Human Factors; Staffing
Primary problem: Staffing

Narrative: This issue involves time on position; lack of management and traffic management knowledge of airspace; and lack of social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. We've been using CIC's (Controller-In-Charge) every day. We had 3 CPC's; one partial R-side; one D-side; and one partial D-side. During this low traffic volume time I think we should have 6 CPC's available in order to be able to open 4 sectors (if needed) and still not allow controllers to go over 2 hours on position without being asked for a break.We had three sectors open. So with 40 minute breaks we were already on position for over 2 hours each time. Traffic volume was getting high like it has been between XA:30 and XD:00. Sector 17's number on the TSD were showing around 7 over their MAP number. A D-side was therefore assigned to the sector 17. Our CIC went to talk to TMU to ask what the plan was to bring that number down. They told him they're doing nothing and are expecting us to just split sector 58. The CIC said sector 58 would then have too many planes in it because it was showing 31 planes when it's MAP number is 22. So 9 planes over their limit. TMU told the CIC that this number must be wrong. (We found out later that CIC didn't really know where sector 58 was. CIC thought it was just an ultra high sector just above sector 17 only. It overlies sector 93 also.) The OMIC wasn't familiar with sector 58 [either]. The OMIC instructed our CIC to open 58. Of course when he did sector 58's numbers were way over what was allowed in the sector. This forced the CIC to call down the other D-side trainee from upstairs to help out. Also; TMU now had to scramble to figure out how to mitigate traffic out of sector 58 after realizing what the sector was.One of the D-side trainees was not wearing a mask nor social distancing himself. I was not comfortable with him working D-sides since he would be less than 6 feet from the R-sides and also touching the equipment.The CPC they called back from break had only been on break for 15 minutes and that was after being on position for over 2 hours prior. After an only 15 minute break he was called back to work a sector way too busy for what it was meant for. All of this is unsafe in my opinion. There was no social distancing because sectors were not split in a smart manner. All of us went over 3+ hours on position during that time without being asked for a break. The whole situation was unsafe in many ways and it could've been handled better by TMU and management.Training for TMCs and OMs on the airspace. Staff us better. I'd rather have better staffing and more R-sides to be able to split sectors than utilize D-sides during the pandemic.




Synopsis: ZAB ARTCC Controller reported staffing issues; TMU lack of airspace knowledge and social distancing concerns.