The Defense Department reissued its mask mandate for certain installations that are in locations with surging COVID-19 infection rates.
Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks issued the updated policy on Wednesday after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a new coronavirus guidance calling for fully vaccinated individuals to wear masks in certain settings.
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“Deputy Secretary Hicks has directed that all individuals, regardless of vaccination status, wear masks in indoor settings at Department of Defense installations and facilities in areas of substantial or high transmission, as defined by the CDC, to protect against rising COVID-19 cases,” deputy Pentagon press secretary Jamal Brown said in a statement. “Today’s announcement applies to all service members, federal personnel, contractors, and visitors when indoors at all properties owned by the Department in those areas, in accordance with updated CDC guidelines.”
“All defense personnel should continue to comply with CDC guidance regarding areas where masks should be worn,” he added. “The Department will review and revise all applicable Force Health Protection guidance to address the new CDC guidelines.”
The mandate is applicable to installations that have either “substantial” or “high” transmission rates. Areas that have 50-99 new cases per 100,000 people in the last seven days are considered to be “substantial,” while anything that exceeds that threshold is “high.”
The agency lifted its earlier mask mandate for fully vaccinated people in May.
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The House of Representatives and the White House are also reimposing mask mandates despite Republican criticism.
