Masks Now Required at Joint Base Lewis-McChord

LAKEWOOD, WA — Joint Base Lewis-McChord will be requiring everyone to wear masks while on base for the foreseeable future.

It's a decision that comes from the top: Wednesday, Deputy Secretary of Defense Dr. Kathleen Hicks issued a new directive requiring that everyone wear masks, regardless of if they are vaccinated or not, at all indoor settings at Department of Defense installations and facilities.

The directive only applies to areas with 'substantial' or 'high' transmission, as determined by the Centers for Disease Control. CDC guidance defines those as:

• Substantial: Areas with between 50 and 99.99 cases per 100,000 people in a week
• High: Areas with more than 100 cases per 100,000 in a week

By those metrics, Pierce County has substantial transmission, and as a result JBLM will need to enforce the Deputy Secretary's new mask requirements.

The mask requirement applies to all service members, federal personnel, contractors, and visitors to Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

The Department of Defense is also asking defense personnel to follow CDC guidance and wear masks in off-base indoor public spaces as well.

"All defense personnel should continue to comply with CDC guidance regarding areas where masks should be worn," wrote Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Jamal Brown in a statement Wednesday. "The Department will review and revise all applicable Force Health Protection guidance to address the new CDC guidelines."

The DOD's plea mirrors another made by Gov. Jay Inslee, who on Wednesday asked that all Washingtonians resume masking in public

"We are recommending, statewide, that people consider wearing a mask regardless of their vaccination status," Inslee said at a news conference.

"I know it's frustrating for people to even have to think about [masking], but that's the situation we are in, and the more people who get vaccinated, the less we'll have to think about this," Inslee said.

Related: All Washingtonians Should Mask Up Again, Inslee Recommends