Updated CDC Guidance on Mask Wearing

Dear Interior Employees,

Earlier today, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued updated guidance on Interim Public Health Recommendations for Fully Vaccinated People. Consistent with that guidance, this email provides immediate updates to Federal workplace COVID-19 safety guidance. Additional updates, including updated Model Safety Principles from the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force, are forthcoming. 

Starting no later than opening of business tomorrow:

• In areas of substantial or high community transmission, agencies must require all Federal employees, onsite contractors, and visitors, regardless of vaccination status, to wear a mask inside of Federal buildings. As of today, that includes the Washington, DC area.  Managers and employees should utilize the CDC COVID Data Tracker website to determine whether they are located in an area of substantial or high community transmission.
• Federal employees, onsite contractors, and visitors who are not fully vaccinated also need to continue to physically distance consistent with CDC guidance.
• We will work to as soon as possible post signs and post information online on agency websites making clear what masking requirements apply in each Federal facility.

In the coming days, we expect to receive FAQs regarding the updated CDC guidance. These changes are consistent with Executive Order 13991 on Protecting the Federal Workforce and Requiring Mask-Wearing, which charged Federal agencies to “require compliance with CDC guidelines with respect to wearing masks” and OMB guidance memoranda M-21-15 (January 24, 2021) and M-21-25 (June 10, 2021).

As part of its updated guidance, CDC reiterated that fully vaccinated people are at substantially reduced risk of severe illness and death from COVID-19 compared with unvaccinated people. 

Please visit Vaccines.gov (or for information in Spanish, Vacunas.gov) to find a location to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. We strongly encourage all employees and contractors to get vaccinated as soon as possible.