Protecting the Federal Workforce During the COVID-19 Pandemic
The Safer Federal Workforce Task Force (Task Force) was established by Section 4 of Executive Order 13991 on Protecting the Federal Workforce and Requiring Mask-Wearing, of January 20, 2021. The Task Force is co-chaired by the White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator, the Administrator of General Services, and the Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). Task Force members include: the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the Director of the Federal Protective Service, the Director of the U.S. Secret Service, the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
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.
The following resources include Executive Orders, key guidance from documents issued by the Task Force, and key guidance from OMB, CDC, OPM, and the General Services Administration (GSA) related to the Task Force’s mission. Further guidance from the Task Force can be found in the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) section of this website. Agencies should refer to the What’s New? page to review new and updated FAQs and guidance from the Task Force that support agencies in implementing CDC guidance and recommendations.
- Read the President’s Executive Order on Protecting the Federal Workforce and Requiring Mask-Wearing (Signed January 20, 2021). It establishes the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force and requires on-duty Federal employees, as well as 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 Model Agency COVID-19 Safety Principles (Updated September 15, 2022; PDF, Download Adobe Reader). It outlines model safety principles for executive departments and agencies to revise their existing COVID-19 workplace safety plans.
- NOTE: Agencies should refer to the What’s New? page to review new and updated FAQs and guidance from the Task Force that support agencies in implementing CDC guidance updated since the publication of these model safety principles, pursuant to Executive Order 13991. Where the model safety principles and more recently updated FAQs or guidance conflict as they relate to specific workplace safety protocols, the information in the FAQs should be followed.
- Read implementation guidance on updates to Federal agency COVID-19 Workplace Safety Protocols (Issued August 17, 2022; PDF, Download Adobe Reader)
- Read implementation guidance on COVID-19 Community Levels (Updated August 17, 2022; Originally Issued February 28, 2022; PDF, Download Adobe Reader)
- Read the President's Executive Order on Moving Beyond COVID-19 Vaccination Requirements for Federal Workers (Signed May 9, 2023). It revokes, as of 12:01 AM EST on May 12, 2023, Executive Order 14042, which had required certain parties contracting with the Federal Government to follow certain COVID-19 safety protocols, and Executive Order 14043, which had required vaccination for Federal civilian employees.
- Read 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 (Issued June 10, 2021; PDF, Download Adobe Reader). It provides agencies with guidance for agency planning processes for safe reentry and post-reentry personnel policies and work environment.
- Read OMB memo M-21-15: COVID-19 Safe Federal Workplace: Agency Model Safety Principles (Issued January 24, 2021; PDF, Download Adobe Reader) for a description of the work of the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force and the original outline of model safety principles for executive departments and agencies as they built tailored COVID-19 workplace safety plans.
- Read the CDC’s Federal Testing Plan for Federal Workforce (Issued April 7, 2021; PDF, Download Adobe Reader), which was drafted pursuant to Executive Order 13991 to support agencies with strategies for incorporating SARS-CoV-2 testing into their COVID-19 workplace safety plan.
- NOTE: Federal agencies can reference updated Safer Federal Workforce Task Force guidance and FAQs on screening testing, as well as updated CDC guidance on testing.
For questions or comments, email the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force at SaferFederalWorkforce@gsa.gov