Protecting the Federal Workforce and Requiring Mask-Wearing

The Safer Federal Workforce Task Force is led by the White House COVID-19 Response Team, the General Services Administration (GSA), and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). Task Force members include: the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Federal Protective Service (FPS), the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and the United States Secret Service (USSS).

The President created the task force to give the heads of federal agencies ongoing guidance to keep their employees safe and their agencies operating during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Read the President’s Executive Order on Protecting the Federal Workforce and Requiring Mask-Wearing. It establishes the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force and requires anyone working in or visiting federal buildings or federal lands to wear masks, maintain physical distance, and adhere to other public health measures, as provided in CDC guidelines.

• Read the OMB memo M-21-15: COVID-19 Safe Federal Workplace: Agency Model Safety Principles (PDF, Download Adobe Reader). It describes the work of the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force and outlines model safety principles for executive departments and agencies as they build tailored COVID-19 workplace safety plans.

• Read the CDC’s Federal Testing Plan for Federal Workforce (PDF, Download Adobe Reader). This guidance provides federal agencies with strategies for incorporating SARS-CoV-2 testing into their COVID-19 workplace safety plan. Each federal agency should apply this guidance according to the situation in its workplace or workforce.

• Read the OMB memo M-21-25: Integrating Planning for A Safe Increased Return of Federal Employees and Contractors to Physical Workplaces with Post-Reentry Personnel Policies and Work Environment (PDF, Download Adobe Reader). It provides agencies with guidance for agency planning processes for post-reentry personnel policies and work environment.