Amid surge in cases, Northwest Florida military bases tighten COVID-19 mitigation protocols

EGLIN AFB — Military installations across Northwest Florida are, for the most part, instituting stricter COVID-19 mitigation protocols amid a local surge in the omicron variant of the virus.

According to information from the New York Times, obtained from a variety of sources, counties across the area are recording a sharp uptick in COVID-19 cases.

Escambia County, home of Naval Air Station Pensacola, is averaging 308 cases per day, Okaloosa County, which hosts Eglin Air Force Base, is averaging 123 new cases each day and Bay County, home of Tyndall Air Force Base, is averaging 100 new cases daily, according to data reported by the Times.

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Elsewhere in the area, Santa Rosa County, home to Naval Air Station Whiting Field, is averaging 129 cases per day. Walton County, which has a limited military presence but hosts a large number of military personnel, is averaging 36 cases daily, the Times data notes.

The strictest change among local military installations became effective at 7 a.m. Wednesday, when Tyndall boosted its "Health Protection Condition" from "Bravo" to "Charlie."

HPCON Charlie is the fourth most stringent health protection level on the five-level Department of Defense protocol for handling disease outbreaks. The HPCON system is based on the severity of a spreading disease and the level of local transmission.

Tyndall Air Force Base requires masks indoors and more

With the move to HPCON Charlie, Tyndall requires that masks be worn indoors by anyone on or visiting the base, regardless of their COVID-19 vaccination status.

And while essential missions will continue with required staffing at Tyndall, personnel are being instructed to use teleworking "to the max extent possible," according to a directive from the base.

Beyond that, access to the installation will be limited to airmen and others conducting official business, and to residents of base housing.

Restrictions now in place at Tyndall under HPCON Charlie reflect earlier days of the COVID-19 pandemic when community spread was an issue. The current restrictions include social distancing of at least 6 feet and limiting social gatherings to 10 people.

Other gatherings, when ranging from more than 10 to 30 people, will require approval of the appropriate unit commander and the establishment of a risk mitigation plan. Gatherings of 30 to 50 people will require approval of the commander of the host unit at Tyndall, the 325th Fighter Wing.

Additionally at Tyndall, physical fitness assessments for airmen have been suspended until further notice, and personnel have been cautioned that some base services may have to adjust their hours or their capacities in connection with HPCON Charlie.

What about Eglin Air Force Base?

At Eglin, commander Brig. Gen. Scott Cain directed on Tuesday the implementation of the somewhat less restrictive HPCON Bravo-Plus "to combat an increased spread of COVID-19 in local communities."

As at Tyndall, HPCON Bravo-Plus at Eglin mandates the indoor wearing of masks by anyone on the base.

Cain's declaration keeps the base on an "official business only" posture that covers both mission-essential and non-mission-essential activities for people with base access, such as seeking medical care, accessing child care services and using recreational facilities.

Cain's directive notes that "(m)aximum use of telework to reduce the footprint here is highly encouraged" and says that meetings "and other events should be conducted virtually to the maximum extent possible."

HPCON Bravo-Plus calls for limiting gatherings to 50 people, with indoor gatherings limited to the maximum capacity of a given space while maintaining social distancing.

Additionally, the move to HPCON Bravo-Plus provides Cain an opportunity to remind Eglin personnel to stay home if they are ill or experiencing COVID-19 systems, notify their supervisor and contact primary care personnel.

"Continued vigilance in combatting the rapid spread of this virus and its variants is essential," Cain said in announcing the new HPCON at Eglin. "Please continue to do your best to keep Eglin a place where the virus doesn’t spread.”

Mask mandate at Hurlburt Field

Elsewhere in the area, HPCON Bravo, the third level of the five-level Department of Defense health protection protocol, was in effect Wednesday at Hurlburt Field, headquarters of Air Force Special Operations Command, according to the installation's Facebook page.

But Col. Jocelyn Schermerhorn, commander of the 1st Special Operations Wing, the host unit at Hurlburt, established a mask mandate Monday.

"In an effort to mitigate mission impact and in compliance with DoD policy ... face coverings are mandatory for everyone on base, regardless of vaccination status," Schermerhorn told Hurlburt personnel.

What about Naval Air Station Pensacola?

At Naval Air Station Pensacola, which is at HPCON Bravo, the increase of COVID-19 cases in the area has prompted the installation to additionally require, as of Dec. 29, that masks be worn indoors, regardless of vaccination status.

"As of right now, that's the only additional requirement," NAS Pensacola spokesman Jason Bortz said Wednesday. Bortz noted that NAS Pensacola routinely encourages personnel to stay home if they are sick and to let their chain of command know if they contract COVID-19 or come into contact with someone who has the virus.

"Communication is key," Bortz said.

Like NAS Pensacola, Naval Air Station Whiting Field in Milton is under HPCON Bravo, with no change yet in that standing, according to installation spokeswoman Julie Ziegenhorn.

This article originally appeared on Northwest Florida Daily News: Northwest Florida military bases see COVID surge, tighten restrictions