Pentagon to Require Masks Indoors in COVID-19 Hot Spots Regardless of Vaccination Status

The Pentagon, the headquarters of the Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, across the Potomac River from Washington, is seen from the air on Dec. 8, 2019. Daniel Slim/AFP via Getty Images

The Pentagon announced on Wednesday that masks will be mandated indoors at Defense Department installations in areas with substantial or high community transmission of COVID-19, regardless of vaccination status.

Service members, civilian workers, contractors, and visitors must wear masks indoors at military installations and other facilities “owned, leased, or otherwise controlled” by the Pentagon in areas where COVID-19 transmission is “substantial” or “high,” according to a statement from Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Jamal Brown.