Earlier today, Huntington Ingalls Industries Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer Bill Ermatinger shared new guidance issued from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advising people to resume wearing face masks indoors in public in regions of substantial or high transmission, regardless of vaccination status. Wearing a mask maximizes protection from the delta variant and helps to prevent the virus’ spread.

The Hampton Roads region is experiencing substantial or high transmission of COVID-19. Confirmed cases at Newport News Shipbuilding have also risen, and while numbers are below levels earlier in the pandemic, this trend is concerning. Our vaccination rate remains at only 52%. As a result, anyone at NNS, regardless of vaccination status, will be required to wear masks while indoors, or in covered facilities, effective Monday, Aug. 2. Unvaccinated personnel will continue to wear masks indoors and outdoors.

In addition, mask requirements are being implemented on commissioned Navy ships per the Department of Defense.

Employees are urged to get vaccinated at the HII Family Health Center or in the community to help us bring this pandemic to an end. Self-report your vaccination status by logging into your UPoint account from www.hiibenefits.com. Employees vaccinated through the NNS program do not need to self-report.

A list of frequently asked questions is available for more information, including when mask requirements are taking effect on the various Navy ships on which we work. NNS will continue to reexamine COVID-19 preventative practices to keep our employees safe. Any additional changes or updates will be communicated to employees as decisions are made.