DETROIT — The U.S. Social Security Administration announced this week that it will be opening local Social Security offices for in-person services, including for people without an appointment, on April 7.

SSA offices have been closed for in-person activities for most of the COVID-19 pandemic.

To avoid waiting in line, the SSA is strongly encouraging people who can to continue using online services at www.socialsecurity.gov or call a nearby office to schedule appointments in advance, rather than walking in without an appointment.

Customers who walk in without appointments may encounter delays and longer waits at the offices, the SSA said.

“Throughout the pandemic, millions of people have used our secure and convenient online services and received help by phone,” said Kilolo Kijakazi, SSA acting commissioner. “People who have access to the Internet should first try our online services before calling us or visiting an office.”

The Administration said its offices tend to be the busiest first thing in the morning, early in the week and during the early part of the month, so people may want to plan to visit at other times.

Consistent with the SSA’s union agreements, and considering many of the people the SSA serves have health vulnerabilities, offices will continue to require certain safety measures, including masking, physical distancing and self-health checks for COVID-19 symptoms. The offices will provide masks to the public and employees if they need them.

To prepare for the in-person activities, the SSA has implemented office-to-office support as well as brought recently retired employees back to assist the public.

The SSA is transitioning to a modern phone system and warns that some people may experience a busy signal or be unintentionally disconnected from their call. It recommends people call when the national 800 number is be less busy, such as before 10 a.m. or after 4 p.m. local time or later in the week. Like the offices, the waits are generally shorter later in the month, said the SSA.

To learn more, please visitsocialsecurity.gov/coronavirus/gethelp and socialsecurity.gov/onlineservices