BRUSSELS -- In this screenshot from a video about the Task Force Personnel help desk at U.S. Army Garrison Benelux - Brussels, Sandy Arvay, Army relocation program manager for the Army prepositioned stock sites, talks on the phone March 17, dispensing advice on moving after the implementation of a Department of Defense-wide overseas stop-movement order in order to slow the spread of COVID-19. USAG Benelux established Task Force Personnel in order to track the military service members, civilians and Families who have been impacted by the secondary affects of the measures the Department of Defense has implemented to combat the disease. (U.S. Army photo by Bryan Gatchell, USAG Benelux Public Affairs)

When COVID-19 strands, Task Force Personnel plans

By Bryan Gatchell, USAG Benelux Public Affairs

BRUSSELS -- As with most overseas garrisons, U.S. Army Garrison Benelux routinely processes newly arrived service members, civilians and their Family members and out-processes the same as they move onto other posts or retire.

But on March 25, in response to the global spread of COVID-19, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper enacted a 60-day stop movement order to Department of Defense uniformed service members, civilians and their Families.

To help alleviate the challenges the sudden change of plans presented to the people who were moving, USAG Benelux established Task Force Personnel to track who and how many within USAG Benelux and its mission partners were caught in the middle of a move.

Yvette Castro, the director of Human Resources for the garrison, became the lead for Task Force Personnel. The key part of her mission is to keep command informed so they have accurate information with which to make decisions.

“We’re encompassing everyone that needs support and assistance during COVID-19,” she said.

The data they report not only informs the garrison leadership but also feeds up to U.S. Army Europe, Installation Management Command - Europe and the 21st Theater Sustainment Command.

The task force’s job did not end at reporting numbers.

Community members were staying in temporary lodging and had questions about how that was to be paid for. College student Family members who had used government-funded travel to return to the U.S. to study found themselves stranded once campuses closed because of COVID-19.

The secondary effects of the implementation of COVID-19 measures were various and left many community members with questions. So Task Force Personnel established a help desk, which was staffed by Sandy Arvay, an Army relocation manager for the Army prepositioned stock sites.

“We have a lot of service members and DoD civilians that are either PCSing (permanently changing stations) or retiring or ETSing (expiration - term of service) out of the area,” said Arvay. “So lots of people had questions about what they were supposed to do in this case because they had out inspections scheduled, they had their household goods scheduled to be picked up, they had vehicles that they needed to de-register and ship”

Some of these issues were resolved through exceptions to policy, but there were questions about whom to request exceptions from and more.

The task force’s responsibilities did not stop there. It facilitated the telework agreements between supervisors and employees. It tracks those in quarantine, isolation and self-isolation within USAG Benelux and its mission partners.

Most recently, the task force has worked with the Defense Commissary Agency and other garrison and partner organizations to establish a shopping agent program to help community members with Commissary privileges who are quarantined, are in self-isolation or are in a high-risk category. Volunteers will take orders from the community members, visit the local commissary, coordinate payment between the community member and the cashier and bring the groceries back.

“To prevent them from going out into the public and posing a risk to others or risking themselves … we’ll help them have the least amount of exposure to the public,” said Arvay.

To learn more about volunteering for the DeCA shopping agent program or to reach the Task Force Personnel help desk, call +32 (0) 2 717 9623 or DSN 368-9623 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.