Last Thursday, May 13, the Department of Defense issued interim policy guidance rescinding the requirement for vaccinated personnel to wear masks indoors. The memo reads:

In support of updated Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines released this afternoon, subject to any applicable labor relations obligations, fully vaccinated DoD personnel (who are at least two weeks beyond their final dose) are no longer required to wear a mask indoors or outdoors at DoD facilities. All DoD personnel should continue to comply with CDC guidance regarding areas where masks should be worn, including within airports. Personnel who are not fully vaccinated should continue to follow applicable DoD mask guidance, including continuing to wear masks indoors. The Department will review and revise all applicable Force Health Protection guidance to address the new CDC guidelines.

Until this updated Force Health Protection guidance is issued, commanders and supervisors may make exceptions to this memorandum as necessary to ensure a safe workforce. Commanders and supervisors should not ask about an employee ' s vaccination status or use information about an employee ' s vaccination status to make decisions about how and when employees will report to a workplace instead of teleworking.