Questions & Answers

Q1: 1.  Why do I have to wear a mask if I’ve already been vaccinated? 

A1: The intent of requiring masks is to protect our community and prevent the spread of COVID-19. This requirement is directed by the Office of the Secretary of Defense and requires the wear of masks indoors on Federal installations in areas of substantial or high community transmission.

Q2: Why is JBSA going back to Health Protection Condition (HPCON) BRAVO?

A2: Current JBSA trends meet the Department of Defense’s criteria for implementing the HPCON change based on JSBA’s reported decrease in the daily case rate and in the 14-day positivity rate at our military medical treatment facilities as well as a review of the Bexar County hospital stress score. Although the HPCON has decreased, masks are still required in all JBSA buildings as a preventative measure to continue slowing the virus and reducing the spread of COVID-19 within our community. Ideally, by continuing to wear masks we can limit further spread of the virus and decrease our chances of having to move to higher HPCON levels.

Q3: Does this mean everyone who works or visits JBSA is required to wear a mask?

A3: Yes; masks are still required in indoor settings on installations and other facilities owned, leased or otherwise controlled by DOD for all service members, Federal employees, onsite contractor employees, and visitors, regardless of vaccination status.

Q4: Will facility operations or hours be modified and where can I go to get updated service information?

A4: Installation support and services will expand in a deliberate manner while continuing to implement public health measures to minimize the spread of COVID-19. Gate guards have resumed mandatory physical handling of all ID cards; JBSA Fitness Centers are open to all eligible users during normal operating hours; and JBSA clubs are expanding operations while maintaining proper COVID-19 mitigation protocols.

For the latest information, check the following resources:

- Installation gate availability and hours: https://www.jbsa.mil/Gate-Hours

- Morale, Welfare and Recreation opportunities: www.JBSAToday.com

- COVID-19 updates: www.jbsa.mil/coronavirus
- Other services information: https://www.jbsa.mil/Resources/

Q5: Can I still get vaccinated and where can I go?

A5: Department of Defense beneficiaries ages 12 and older can receive vaccinations at JBSA Medical Treatment Facilities:

- BAMC - Beneficiaries can make a same-day appointments on TRICARE Online or by calling the appointment line at 210-916-9900. The clinic is also offering walk-in hours Tuesdays, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Wednesdays, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

- Wilford Hall – Beneficiaries can make an appointment on TRICARE Online or by calling the appointment line at 210-916-9900, option 8. Walk-in hours are Thursdays and Fridays, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

DoD civilians who are not TRICARE beneficiaries may receive the vaccine from either location during walk-in hours. They will need to bring a CAC to prove eligibility.

Q6: What happens if I don’t have a mask?

A6: Service members, Federal employees, onsite contract employees, and visitors, regardless of vaccination status, must wear a mask in indoor settings on any JBSA installation and at other facilities owned, leased, or otherwise controlled by DOD. Individuals who are not fully vaccinated will also maintain physical distancing consistent with CDC and DOD Force Health Protection guidelines. JBSA personnel will be provided a mask, if available. Visiting personnel are expected to provide their own masks to ensure entrance to facilities.

Q7: Will personnel continue telework status?

A7: Commanders and supervisors are encouraged to continue to authorize telework, flexible scheduling, and alternate work locations to meet occupancy standards, where possible. JBSA workplaces should maintain less than 50% of normal building occupancy. Commanders and supervisors at all levels must continue to accommodate high-risk members and those with family considerations.

Q8: Where can I look to see the Commander’s Guidance Memorandum and COVID-19 updates?

A8: For the latest COVID-19 updates and Commander’s guidance memoranda, visit www.jbsa.mil/coronavirus

Q9: Will families still be able to attend BMT graduation?

A9: Visitors, regardless of their vaccination status, will be required to wear masks indoors when on the installation. The current BMT COVID-19 protocols remain in place. Each trainee will be able to invite two vaccinated guests to their graduation. Proof of COVID-19 vaccination still required to enter the graduation ceremony. Local condition guidance is always subject to change.

Q10: Will children attending a school on the installation be required to wear a mask?

A10: Yes; the Department of Defense requires all service members, Federal employees, onsite contractor employees, dependents, and visitors, regardless of vaccination status, to wear a mask in indoor settings on JBSA installations and other facilities, owned, leased or otherwise controlled by Department of Defense.

Q11: What happens if someone refuses to wear a mask?

A11: Service members, Federal employees, onsite contract employees, and visitors, regardless of vaccination status, will wear a mask in indoor settings on any JBSA installation and at other facilities owned, leased, or otherwise controlled by DoD. Personnel not in compliance with the JBSA COVID-19 Guidance Memorandum 57 face the possibility of administrative action from their unit leadership or higher.

My employee just returned from an affected area and I do not want them to come into the office until I know they do not present a safety risk. As a supervisor, what can I do?

Supervisors should identify whether the employee is telework-ready and offer the employee the option to telework. If the employee is not telework-ready because, for example, they cannot perform their duties at an alternate location, then the supervisor should consider utilizing Weather and Safety Leave (please review the section below on the appropriate use of WSL), administrative leave, or other leave flexibilities (paid or unpaid) available. DoD Components may also combine telework and various leave flexibilities when the employee may perform some of his or her duties at an alternate worksite.

I have an employee on Weather and Safety Leave who is immunocompromised and cannot telework due to the nature of their position. I need them to come back to work. Can I mandate them to return?

Supervisors should avoid mandating the return of employees who are in the higher risk categories prior to Phase 3, except in the most urgent mission-needs situation. Although these guidelines do not impact the authority to recall civilian employees to traditional worksites to meet urgent, mission-essential requirements, per DAF guidance, effective safeguards and mitigation measures must be put into place to ensure civilian employees are able to travel safely to and from work and perform their jobs in a safe manner. Before requiring a higher risk employee to return to the traditional worksite, a supervisor should work collaboratively with the employee in developing a plan, and seek creative, flexible, and tailored solutions. A supervisor should consider and try to find a balance between the risk to the employee and the mission need.

Are there any yearly limitations to Weather and Safety leave?

No, there is no cap on the number of hours that may be granted for WSL.

If a supervisor determines to recall a civilian employee back to the traditional worksite, can an employee refuse?

Supervisors are encouraged to take a collaborative approach to develop a plan for each civilian employee’s transition to optimized operations and seek creative, flexible, and tailored solutions. Where duties can be performed by telework, supervisors should maximize telework whenever possible. Where mission needs cannot be met by telework, other new work arrangements should be considered. Ultimately, a supervisor can mandate an employee’s return to the traditional worksite. An employee may also request leave under a variety of leave entitlements. Also, even at a stage/phase when most civilian employees have transitioned to optimized operations and/or returned to the traditional worksites (Phase 3/HPCON A), a civilian employee who is at higher risk of serious complications from COVID-19, as defined by the CDC, may be legally entitled (under the Rehabilitation Act) to reasonable accommodation, including full-time telework.

Can supervisors question the reason for which their employees are requesting annual leave?

Since supervisors must balance the work of the agency against the interest of the employee in using annual leave, supervisors may find it necessary from time to time to ask employees how they will use the requested annual leave so that the supervisors may make informed decisions about scheduling the leave. In such cases, employees are not required to provide the supervisor with this information, but their request for annual leave may be denied based on mission requirements. DoD Components should also be mindful of requirements under their collective bargaining agreements.

Can a supervisor deny leave to a civilian who is traveling outside the local commuting area?

Depending on the type of leave, a supervisor can deny or cancel leave to a civilian who is traveling outside the local commuting area based on mission requirements. A supervisor may not deny personal leave solely because an employee is traveling outside of the local commuting area or to a COVID-19 “hot spot.”