Mask restrictions for on-site staff and volunteers will lift March 30

Secretary Bunch announced the relaxing of COVID-19 mitigations as part of the Smithsonian’s “Way Ahead.”

Last Friday, we lifted the requirement that visitors to our museums and the National Zoo wear face coverings—a decision based on the latest CDC guidance using their new COVID-19 Community Levels, which emphasize individual risk and personal responsibility.

We decided to first loosen the public masking policy, while still requiring staff to wear face coverings, to allow time for you, especially those of you on site, to become as comfortable as possible with easing restrictions. This transition period will end March 30, when we will lift the mask requirement for all on-site personnel, including contractors, volunteers, affiliated staff and official visitors. The current facility capacity restrictions—the number of staff allowed on site at a time—will also end on that day.

These changes are being made at our facilities categorized with a Low COVID-19 Community Level, including Smithsonian facilities in the Washington, D.C.-area, New York City, Florida, Massachusetts and Hawaii. Masking and capacity limits are planned to remain in place in Arizona at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory facility and in Panama at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute until the metrics in those areas improve.

Masking may not be required moving forward, but it will always be permitted. The Smithsonian will be a mask-friendly environment, and we support you should you decide to continue this safety practice. We understand that mask-wearing is a personal decision based on your individual circumstances; we will foster an inclusive, safe, and supportive workplace and are committed to facilitating the health and comfort needs of our staff.  

While all staff will be permitted on site beginning March 30, many of you will continue teleworking to some extent based on your job duties, your schedule, and the plan you have developed with your supervisor. More guidance on teleworking and our new Future of Work will be forthcoming.

This new way of working, a hybrid of in-person and telework that acknowledges the reality that COVID-19 is still with us—and that we have the tools and knowledge to protect ourselves and our community—is what we are calling The Way Ahead. This plan is about not only returning to the workplace, but also addressing the ever-changing realities of the virus and its impact on our communities. By using the CDC’s COVID-19 Community Levels as part of our planning, we have a framework to more easily adjust our operations and safety mitigations based on the severity of illness around us.

My team and I will continue to provide more information on these changes in the coming days and weeks. I hope you will join me at our next All-Staff meeting, March 21, at 2 p.m., where we will discuss our plans for “The Way Ahead.” Thank you for your ongoing patience and support.

 
Sincerely,

Lonnie G. Bunch III | Secretary

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