On Fridays, USDA will share the CDC’s COVID-19 community levels to guide masking protocols for the following week. The CDC COVID Community Levels and masking protocols for the week of Sunday, March 20, through Saturday, March 26, can be found here. The Safer Federal Workforce Task Force Guidance on masking can be found here. 

This week’s Big Three is focused on vaccination attestation forms for visitors and contractors. Visitors and contractors will follow the same masking guidance as USDA employees. While visiting or working in a facility in a county where the COVID-19 Community Level is HIGH, visitors and contractors are required to wear a mask, but they are not required to wear a mask while visiting or working in a facility where the COVID-19 Community Level is LOW or MEDIUM. Even if a mask is not required to be worn, masks may be voluntarily worn by any employee, visitor or contractor at any facility or worksite.

As always, please continue to check our FAQs and the USDA Workplace Safety Plan, which are updated frequently, and reach out to futureofwork@usda.gov for any questions not already addressed.

Sincerely,

The Future of Work Taskforce

1. Do visitors and/or contractors need to provide COVID-19 vaccination attestation before entering a federal facility? 

It depends. When the COVID-19 Community Level is MEDIUM or HIGH in a county where a federal facility is located, onsite contractor employees and visitors to that facility should attest to their vaccination status using the Certification of Vaccination form.

These requirements related to the provision of information about vaccination and provision of proof of a recent negative COVID-19 test do not apply to members of the public entering a federal building or federal land to obtain a public service or benefit. However, customers must still follow the masking protocols based on the COVID Community Level.

2. My COVID-19 Community Level is MEDIUM or HIGH and contractor and/or visitor does not want to attest to their vaccination status or is not fully vaccinated. Do they need to provide proof of a negative test to enter a federal facility?

Yes. When the COVID-19 Community Level is MEDIUM or HIGH in a county where a federal facility is located, onsite contractor employees and visitors who decline to provide information about their vaccination status or are not fully vaccinated should be able to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test from within the previous three days when in that facility. 

3. Do delivery drivers, couriers, U.S. Postal Service employees, FedEx employees, UPS employees, and other “transient visitors” need to attest to their vaccination status or provide proof of negative test before entering a federal facility?

No. Any “transient visitors” accessing a federal facility for less than approximately 15 minutes, who interact with very few people, are not required to present a completed Certification of Vaccination form to the security officer as a condition of entry, even when the local COVID-19 Community Level in the county where the federal facility is located is MEDIUM or HIGH. However, they must still follow the masking protocols based on the COVID Community Level.

The Big Three: Part 9

To the extent this policy may constitute a change in a condition of employment for bargaining unit employees, agencies/offices will implement it in accordance with the terms of their current labor agreement and 5 U.S.C. Chapter 71. If you are a bargaining unit employee and have questions regarding the content of this message and its potential impact on a current labor agreement, please refer them to your local union representative.