Good afternoon Fort Hamilton Community,
As everyone is aware, the World Health Organization has declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic. We are starting to see indications of community spread in the NYC area. I met with MG Milhorn last night and am providing frequent updates to senior leadership. First and foremost, the health and welfare of our workforce and installation community is the Command's #1 priority. We will take all measures to protect the welfare of those who reside and work on the installation.
Current steps we are taking:
-I have declared Health Protection Condition Level Bravo (HPCON Bravo). Most of the measures under HPCON Bravo are intuitive and what you are hearing in media.
a. Practice strict hygiene & social distancing
b. Begin medical surveillance of populace
c. Self-isolation for sick employees
d. Strict workspace cleaning regimen
e. Cancelling non-essential in-person meetings & activities
-I want to emphasize a few points.
a. If you are sick, please stay home. We are currently in a period where individuals should not "power through a head-cold" at work. Please communicate with your supervisor or chain of command.
b. Please clean your work areas. There are different data points on the virus. Many experts say the virus remains for 5-7 days on surfaces. It is critical that EVERYONE cleans their work spaces at least once a day. We are working to implement a more consistent cleaning regiment of common areas.
c. We will post-pone or cancel non-essential meetings and large gathering. When at all possible, leverage technology and work through telework plans. Utilize phone conference numbers to conduct meetings.
-I will conduct a Virtual Town Hall early next week. I will be as open and transparent as possible. I will continue to conduct Town Halls as needed.
-I am starting to hear false rumors circulating around the installation. PLEASE DO NOT CONTRIBUTE TO FALSE INFORMATION. If you hear something, ask your supervisor, chain of command or our team. False rumors only contribute to anxiety.
-I've been in regular contact with senior AAFES & DECA leadership. Both have agreed to ration certain items at the Commissary and PX. Unfortunately, some individuals are mass purchasing items that are now selling at massively inflated prices in NYC.
FMWR EVENTS CALENDAR
-Please ensure hand sanitation stations are utilized in your work spaces, particularly those areas that see large customer throughput.
-Right now there is minimal disruption to installation services. We remain fully operational. We'll just do so in a more protective manner.
We will get through this together. The Garrisons in Korea are already reporting that they are on the backside of the crisis. Communicate with us. We understand and appreciate your concerns on how constantly evolving worldwide issue this will impact you, your family, friends and neighbors. The health of our force is our top priority. You can message or comment below with your questions and we will address the best we can next week during virtual town hall.
Regards,
Col. Andrew Zieseniss
Garrison Commander
Hamilton to move to HPCON Charlie
Effective Thursday morning, March 19th Fort Hamilton will move to Health Protection Condition Charlie. (HPCON Charlie) The measures include curtailing/closure of certain services, telework considerations & limited access to the installation.
Installation access will be limited to those who live and work on Fort Hamilton, mail and package delivery, contractors & mission-essential services. There will be 100 % ID check. This measure is being implemented to reduce the number of personnel on the installation to mitigate the spread of the virus.
For the duration of this temporary protective measure, the following personnel will have not have access to the base: Veterans under the expanded patronage act and retirees, nor members of the Fort Hamilton Community Club that do not live or work on Fort Hamilton.
We understand the impact & do not take it lightly. We recognize that this is a very dynamic situation and conditions will continue to change. We will continue to make risk-based decisions which are fully informed by health experts, senior leaders and government leaders from local to National level. We will remain transparent as possible and actively communicate those decisions to you. It's important that we take precautionary measures to protect the health of the force and maintain operational readiness in the midst of the COVID19 pandemic.
Medical screening for all
Until further notice, everyone entering the Access Control Point at 101st street gate will receive a medical screening and temperature check. Anyone with a high temperature will be given further screening and may be directed to medical facilities or self-quarantine.
You may experience delays. Please plan accordingly as we take the necessary measures to protect the health and safety of our community.
Thank you to our service members from our garrison and local units who stepped up to be a part of this important protection measure. #stopthespread
