Air Traffic Control Developmental
Communication Breakdown
ATC Issue All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
General None Reported / Taken
Procedure; Company Policy; Environment - Non Weather Related; Human Factors
I was the D-Side for approximately 1-1.5hrs when ZZZ Approach went ATC Limited with Tower only open from 1800-2000 local time for COVID cleaning. It was clear from before ZZZ went limited that the contingency plan was lacking; and controllers were brainstorming on the fly how we would handle the situation. In the period of 2 hours; I would estimate we had 15 arrivals into ZZZ1/ZZZ2/ZZZ3. It seemed like an abnormally busy time. I do not believe there were any losses; however there seemed to be a complete failure of planning/explanation/preparation provided to us controllers on how to best handle the situation and what we could expect. Many aircraft experience lengthy delays with several getting low on fuel. I would recommend for better contingency plans and better preparation for controllers when such an event is to occur.
Center Developmental Controller reported a Tower went ATC Limited and the confusion that ensued with determining how to handle the situation. Controller cited lack of planning; explanation and preparation as contributing factors.