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JBSA News
NEWS | March 27, 2020

Feedback Fridays

By Brig. Gen. Laura L. Lenderman 502d Air Base Wing Commander

Feedback Fridays is a weekly forum that aims to connect the 502d Air Base Wing with members of the Joint Base San Antonio community. Questions are collected during commander’s calls, town hall meetings and throughout the week.

If you have a question or concern, please send an email to RandolphPublicAffairs@us.af.mil using the subject line “Feedback Fridays.” Questions will be further researched and published as information becomes available.

COVID-19

Q. As an instructor, I fear for my overall health and well-being due to the fact that we are still conducting training at Joint Base San Antonio.

If the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are recommending no gatherings exceeding more than 50 people at a time, then why is Basic Military Training still taking place?

If you want to talk about a breeding ground for the virus, take 200-plus trainees and place them in a building with more than 30 instructors.

A. Thank you for sharing your concerns. Basic Military Training, Technical Training and Flying Training remain vital to renew the force and underwrite our ability to defend the nation.

Training in “non” mission essential categories is suspended. We’re taking actions to fight through COVID-19 that balance our responsibility to deliver forces with our responsibility to mitigate the risk to our communities as we execute our mission.

Some of these measures include enhanced screening and intervention before arrival and during BMT. Trainees are screened three times—once at MEPs, once upon arrival, and continually throughout an initial 14-day quarantine period.

This is above and beyond Center for Disease Control recommendations. Using these protocols, we have only had one BMT trainee sickness to date, and it was unrelated to COVID-19.

We are also adjusting training activities and decreasing exposure of trainees and instructors. In addition, AETC is deliberately developing options to disperse the delivery of BMT during contingencies to surge capacity and introduce agility into the training pipeline construct.

Please continue to monitor our COVID-19 Information webpage at www.jbsa.mil/Information/CDC-Novel-Coronavirus-Response-Support/ and our JBSA social media platforms. We also encourage you to use your chain of command to voice your concerns as this is a rapidly moving situation and leadership at all levels are putting precautions in place specific to their organizations.

These are unprecedented times, with the situation changing daily. Know our leaders at every level are making continuous assessments daily in order to protect the force’s health & safety.

You can read more at the link https://www.aetc.af.mil/News/Article/2117148/latest-air-force-trainees-continue-bmt-with-enhanced-mitigation-efforts/

Q. Who should tenant units report a positive COVID-19 case through to ensure JBSA officials have situational awareness?

 

A. Thank you very much for your question. The Brooke Army Medical Center Commanding General tracks and communicates all positive test results to JBSA senior leadership for those personnel who are tested at any JBSA medical facility (BAMC, Wilford Hall Ambulatory Surgical Center and JBSA-Randolph).

 

For JBSA personnel who are tested by a civilian medical facility in San Antonio, San Antonio Metro Health informs BAMC and the JBSA Public Health Emergency Officer of any positive test results.

 

If a unit is made aware of a member who received a positive test result, and they are not sure if JBSA leadership is informed, please contact the JBSA Public Emergency Health Officer at 210-517-6544.

 

Q. Is it possible to place hand-sanitizing stations at the major doorways and entrances?


A. Great idea! Each organization should purchase materials necessary to keep their work areas clean and sanitized. Please reach out to your Government Purchase Card, or GPC, holder to put in an order of those materials.

You may also request additional supplies, such as hand sanitizer stations and cleaning wipes. However, keep in mind that these specific items are high in demand and short in supply, so please only buy the amount necessary and leave some for other organizations. Share the wealth!

Q. Does the letter from the Secretary of Defense dated March 11, 2020, mean that all routine TDYs, or non-mission essential, should be canceled regardless of whether or not located in a Level 2 or Level 3 designated location for the next 60 days?

It appears that paragraph 4 of the memo is stating just that, but we have gotten no official word to cancel TDYs.

A. Thank you for your question. All routine TDYs have been cancelled for the next 60 days. That being said, I encourage you to reach out to your chain of command and/or TDY location to confirm cancellation of all travel and lodging if you have not already heard from the units/organizations. 

Q. My family and I are PCSing to Germany within the next 60 days. We were told today by the Traffic Management Office (TMO) that all shipments of household goods were going to be held on CONUS for 60 days. Can you confirm that?

A. Thank you for your question. Germany is designated by the CDC as a Level 3 country. The Secretary of Defense released guidance March 11 that states “Effective March 13, 2020, all DOD uniformed personnel, civilian personnel and family members traveling to, from, or through Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Travel Health Notices level 3 (COVID-19) designated locations, will stop movement for the next 60 days. This includes all forms of official travel, including Permanent Change of Station [PCS], Temporary Duty [TDY], and government-funded leave.”

 The Air Force Personnel Center has also released an FAQ document that states they will be stopping all PCS and TDY orders for the next 60 days.

Our Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/JointBaseSanAntonio/ has the most current stop movement guidelines for all official travel.  

We also keep our website (https://www.jbsa.mil/Information/CDC-Novel-Coronavirus-Response-Support/) updated with the most current guidance and information regarding COVID-19.

I apologize for the inconveniences this causes you and your family, but rest assured we are working diligently to flatten the curve and get back to normal operations.

Q. What is the Exchange’s modified hours?

A. JBSA Exchanges are modifying their operating hours based on each location’s customer demand. I encourage you to reach out to your local Exchange for their respective operating hours.

We’re in a rapidly changing environment, so please be on the lookout for any changes on our JBSA page (https://www.jbsa.mil/Information/CDC-Novel-Coronavirus-Response-Support/) and our JBSA Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/JointBaseSanAntonio/) for more information. Thank you!

Q. Is the Child Development Center going to continue to charge parents even if they keep their children home?

A. Thank you for your question. We issued Military Child Care guidance to the CDCs on how members may request credits for keeping their children at home in support of our mission critical personnel whom still need to utilize CDC operations.

This guidance applies to personnel already enrolled in our programs who need to change the sponsor’s mission essential designation as well as requests for new enrollment. Members in these categories may fill out the JBSA Mission Essential form and submit on-line through the MCC.com portal.

Q. Are the barber shops open?

A. Yes, JBSA barber shops are open and have modified their operations in order to observe social distancing to the greatest extent possible.

Our barber shops will be operating by appointment only, and no one should wait in waiting areas. Additionally, we have limited the number of chairs being used at any one time to increase distancing between customers.