On July 27, the Office of Management and Budget and the Department of Defense announced the implementation of mask mandates for all federal workers, contractors, and visitors to federal facilities in areas with substantial or high community transmission of COVID-19 infections. Federal employees and “onsite contractors” will be required to “attest” to vaccination or be required to wear a mask. However, federal contractors nor agencies have received any implementation guidance which has resulted in confusion. Fundamental questions remain unanswered, including what the scope of the mandate is, who will bear the cost of testing, and if contractors working at multiple offices or for multiple agencies will be required to attest at each site. AGC received notice that it could be as long as two weeks before guidance is issued. The association will update the membership as soon as such guidance is released.
Lastly, it is important to note that the White House has not announced any initiative for mandatory vaccination for federal employees or contractors. It is uncertain whether this mask mandate or a more general vaccine mandate will be expanded to include all federal contractors.
For more information, contact jordan.howard@agc.org or (703) 837-5368.