Protecting the Federal Workforce and Requiring Mask-Wearing
The order requires all federal employees, on-site contractors, and visitors to federal buildings to wear masks and follow CDC public health guidelines, and establishes the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force to provide ongoing COVID-19 safety guidance to agencies.
It is among the first executive actions of the Biden Administration on COVID-19, shifting federal workplace policy to actively enforce mask-wearing and physical distancing across the entire executive branch.
What this order does
What it orders
The order directs all executive agency heads to immediately require on-duty or on-site federal employees, on-site contractors, and all persons in federal buildings or on federal lands to wear masks, maintain physical distance, and follow CDC public health guidelines. It establishes the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force — co-chaired by the Directors of OPM and OMB and the COVID-19 Response Coordinator — to issue ongoing guidance on federal workplace safety, testing, telework, vaccine distribution, and related topics. It also directs HHS and CDC to develop a federal workforce testing plan and instructs the Secretary of HHS to engage with state, local, and community leaders to encourage broader public mask-wearing.
Agency heads may grant categorical or case-by-case exceptions where legally necessary, but must document exceptions in writing and require alternative safeguards. Independent agencies are strongly encouraged — but not formally required — to comply. The order does not create any enforceable individual right or benefit against the United States.
Who it affects
On-duty or on-site federal employees (including military members), on-site federal contractors and their employees, and any members of the public visiting federal buildings or lands. All executive branch agencies are directed to act; the legislative and judicial branches are encouraged to cooperate voluntarily.
Why it matters
Federal workers and anyone entering a federal building must follow mask and distancing rules or risk being denied access. Agencies that grant exceptions must document them and impose alternative safeguards, creating a formal compliance and record-keeping obligation across thousands of federal worksites nationwide.
What must happen and when
How the order is supposed to work
Agency heads take immediate action to enforce CDC guidelines at their facilities, with implementation guidance to follow promptly from OMB, OPM, and the General Services Administration. The COVID-19 Response Coordinator oversees implementation; major agency heads must report progress within 7 days and regularly thereafter. The Safer Federal Workforce Task Force, housed at GSA, holds regular meetings and issues guidance as conditions evolve. Exceptions require written documentation and alternative safeguards. The Task Force's scope spans testing, contact tracing, telework, vaccines, and air filtration — producing a rolling guidance framework rather than a single one-time rule.
Actions and deadlines
- Agency heads take immediate action to require mask-wearing, distancing, and CDC compliance by employees, contractors, and building visitors
- Heads of agencies listed in 31 U.S.C. 901(b) update the COVID-19 Response Coordinator on implementation progress, including any categorical exceptions
- OMB, OPM, and GSA issue implementation guidance to agency heads in coordination with the COVID-19 Response Coordinator
- Heads of agencies listed in 31 U.S.C. 901(b) submit a report to the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force on COVID-19 safety protocols, safety plans, and guidance
- HHS Secretary, through CDC Director, develop and submit a federal workforce COVID-19 testing plan to the COVID-19 Response Coordinator
- OSTP Director assess availability of federal research grants for mask-wearing and physical distancing best practices