White House reporters to wear masks in briefing room again

White House reporters will be wearing masks in the briefing room again, the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) told members on Tuesday.

The mask requirement for the White House press pool is reimposed for all indoor spaces at the White House. It follows guidance that White House staff will also be wearing masks again indoors.

The move follows updated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which adjusted its mask recommendations on Tuesday to advise fully vaccinated people to wear masks in “public, indoor settings” in areas of the country with “substantial” or “high” levels of transmission.

Washington, D.C., is an area of “substantial” spread, according to the CDC.

“We follow CDC guidance, and this afternoon Washington, D.C., was classified as having a substantial level of community transmission,” a White House official said.

The WHCA announced that signs would be posted on Tuesday in the briefing room about the new mask guidance.

Fully vaccinated reporters were allowed to take off their masks starting May 24. The White House briefing room also opened to 50 percent capacity in May after months of a 14-person limit and has since been at full capacity.