COVID-19 Contagion Soars, White House Requires Federal Employees To Wear Masks In The Office

US President Joe Biden and US Vice President Kamala Harris wearing masks. (Wikimedia Commons/The White House)

JAKARTA - The United States (US) government requires all federal employees to wear masks in buildings, without exception, to combat the highly contagious Delta variant of COVID-19, according to recommendations by US health authorities.

Citing Reuters Thursday, July 29, the order to wear masks was issued by the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Wednesday local time. The White House said masks are required indoors in the federal building for all employees and visitors, whether or not vaccinated, in the area.

The move follows guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Tuesday, if vaccinated people should still wear masks indoors in areas with substantial or high community transmission of COVID-19.

On Wednesday, the CDC said nearly 67 percent of the United States was at a substantial or high level of transmission, up from 63.4 percent on Tuesday.

Previously, the Federal Government raced to contain the pandemic in hopes of avoiding future national shutdowns, as the virulent Delta variant of the coronavirus ran rampant in parts of the United States, exacerbated by delays in immunization.

Along with CDC recommendations and White House policy, President Joe Biden is expected to announce further mandates for federal agencies on Thursday.

In an email sent to all federal agencies Tuesday evening, Jason Miller, deputy director of OMB management said, in line with CDC guidelines, "in areas of substantial or high community transmission, agencies must require all federal employees, on-site contractors, and visitors, regardless of from vaccination status, to wearing masks inside federal buildings. Starting today, that includes the Washington, DC area."

He added that people who were not fully vaccinated should also always maintain physical distance, according to the CDC's instructions.

Separately, the US Department of Defense, the Pentagon, said it would soon require the wearing of indoor face masks on all Department of Defense properties, particularly in areas with high or high transmission rates.

Last Monday, President Joe Biden's Administration required all Veterans Affairs staff to receive vaccinations, and on Wednesday, the Department of Homeland Security said in a Twitter post that all of its 240,000 employees must wear masks indoors and at physical distancing, effective immediately and regardless of vaccination.

The White House and the US House of Representatives have both said they have made it mandatory for people who are vaccinated to wear masks indoors in government buildings. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Energy and the Ministry of Home Affairs also said they had implemented the policy

To note, President Biden first issued an executive order in January requiring everyone to wear a mask in federal buildings. This policy was relaxed in May, when the CDC said fully vaccinated Americans don't need to wear masks in most indoor settings.