With the rise of COVID-19 in Alaska, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson has issued a public health emergency for 30 days.
Col. Kirsten Aguilar, JBER’s Commander and the 673rd Air Base Wing:
“We’ve all seen COVID-19 cases continue to spread rapidly across the state of Alaska and in our local community. After close consultation with JBER mission commanders and leaders both on and off the installation, I have decided to declare a public health emergency. This declaration reflects the continued reality that JBER is experiencing sustained community transmission of COVID-19. It will remain in effect for 30 days but may be extended or shortened based on conditions. It also enables me to implement additional measures to stem the spread of COVID-19 on JBER.”
Maj. Joshua Eaton, JBER’s Public Health Emergency Officer paints a picture of COVID’s impact on the community:
“The CDC announced that Alaska is one of the tip five states for COVID transmissions. The seven day average case count is rapidly approaching an all time high for the state as well. Hospital admissions and deaths continue to climb and the inpatient COVID positive rate has reached about an all time high. We are experiencing serious threats to medical capacity and the ability to take care of patients in the hospitals throughout the state. As of September 15, Anchorage intensive care unit beds were over 95% filled and over 90% of the war beds were filled. Providence Alaska Medical Center announced crisis management action due to the lack of beds and healthcare workers, driving longer waits at the ER, specialty care being turned off and the difficult decisions on who the hospital can care for. Weekly case counts on JBER continue to rise as well. Currently, medical assessment indicates that it may take up to four weeks for COVID cases, hospitalizations and associated deaths to trend lower. All JBER personnel are urged to limit movement into areas not requiring masking, distancing, and other COVID mitigations.”
All directives in the July 30th JBER COVID-19 Policy Memo remain in effect and all personnel are urged to limit movement into areas not requiring masking, distancing, and other COVID mitigations. JBER also says that if the situation continues to worsen, additional measures to protect the force may be implemented, including restricting access to off-base facilities.
JBER personnel are urged to continue adhering to Federal, State and Local guidance while off the installation.
