DOD Chief Management Officer Lisa Hershman has approved additional restrictions for the Pentagon Reservation, which will move the Pentagon Reservation to Health Protection Condition Bravo-Plus effective 5 a.m. EST, Thursday, Nov. 26, 2020. Both Armed Forces Retirement Home campuses, in Washington, D.C, and Gulfport, Mississippi, will remain at Health Protection Condition Delta, the highest level of protection, due to the vulnerable residents and healthcare workers at our retirement homes.
The Acting Secretary of Defense’s number one priority during the COVID-19 pandemic is protecting our workforce. The decision to move to HPCON Bravo-Plus took into account health data provided by state, district and local governments in the National Capital Region, as well as nearby military installations, and is based on a steady increase in COVID-19 cases and positive test results on the Pentagon Reservation since the end of August 2020, as well as an increase in cases in the National Capital Region since the middle of September 2020.
With the change to HPCON Bravo-Plus, the following will take effect at 5 a.m. EST, Thursday, Nov. 26, 2020:
- Goal of no more than 40% of the workforce in workspaces; 60% teleworking;
- Continued encouraging of maximizing telework for all employees with a set goal of at least 60%, with continued emphasis on telework for vulnerable populations who should remain at home until HPCON Alpha;
- Cloth face coverings remain mandatory if six-foot social distancing cannot be maintained;
- Random entrance screening of workforce at 5-15%; continued 100% screening of visitors;
- Limit gatherings to fewer than 25 persons (currently less than 50), including conference centers;
- Reduced numbers in the Pentagon Athletic Club. Cloth face coverings are required in all areas of the PAC except for cardio (elliptical, bikes, treadmills, etc.), swimming, and showers; members not complying will be asked to leave;
- Maintain availability of increased parking to the workforce due to reduced mass transit; urge use of single occupancy vehicles and discourage car-pooling/slug lines;
- Food court options will provide take-out only. Discontinue current limited seating.
DOD remains committed to protecting our people, maintaining mission readiness, and supporting the whole-of-government effort response to COVID-19. We believe these measures and continued dialogue with Pentagon leadership, as well as with the JTF-NCR and service military districts, will help us continue to mitigate the COVID-19 spread and enable our workforce to continue implementing the National Defense Strategy, with emphasis on transforming the department for great power competition and the expected future strategic environment.
We are continually emphasizing to our people the need to take actions to protect themselves and those around them by employing protective measures, including practicing good hand washing, social distancing, wearing cloth face coverings, and taking appropriate actions if feeling sick now. These can dramatically decrease the risk of infection and slow COVID-19’s spread.
For more information on the Pentagon Reservation response to COVID-19, visit https://www.whs.mil/Coronavirus/
We encourage all DOD personnel to visit https://www.defense.gov/Explore/Spotlight/Coronavirus for information on staying healthy during the pandemic.