The Pentagon will begin regular mandatory COVID-19 testing of unvaccinated civilian workers this fall, its next step in fighting the disease after requiring troops to get the shots, Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks said Wednesday.
Hicks said the department is adding stricter monitoring of its massive workforce of about 700,000 civilians, and also is considering how to deal with contractors, after President Joe Biden announced in July his intention to test all federal employees.
“We’re working closely across the department and with interagency colleagues on the right approach for our contractors who are present on a routine basis on defense installations to make sure we have the right strategy for them,” Hicks said during a virtual defense conference.
Civilian employees will be required to provide an “attestation of testing,” meaning they must supply proof of vaccination, or undergo testing to monitor for the disease, which has killed 436 people in the Defense Department.
More than half of the reported deaths — 282 — were civilians. COVID-19 has killed 96 contractors and 40 service members, according to the department.
