Base leaders supplement SecDef mask policy

  • Published
  • By Lauren Russell
  • 66th Air Base Group Public Affairs

HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. – Senior leaders here updated the installation policy for workplace handwashing, facial coverings, cleaning and social distancing via a memo distributed Feb. 8.

The policy supplements a memo released by the Office of the Secretary of Defense Feb. 4 that mandates all employees, performing official Department of Defense duties from any location other than their home, will wear facial coverings in accordance with the most current Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Guidance.

“Telework should continue to be utilized to the fullest extent,” wrote Col. Katrina Stephens, installation commander, in the memo to the workforce. “If telework is not possible, employees are required to comply with the [Office of Secretary of Defense memo.]”

Additionally, employees over the age of 65 and those with underlying health conditions and considered “high risk” by the CDC should be provided telework flexibility to the maximum extent the mission allows, according to the local memorandum.

The Hanscom Crisis Action Team encourages units to keep up with regular sanitation of communal workstations and equipment, and employees should clean individual work areas with cleaning supplies provided by the unit.

All Hanscom employees are advised to wash their hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds before eating and after using restrooms to mitigate the spread of disease.

A complete list of CDC-approved disinfectants can be found at www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/disinfecting-building-facility.html.

“COVID-19 is one of the deadliest threats our Nation has ever faced,” Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III wrote in the DOD memo. “It’s imperative that we do all we can to ensure the health and safety of our force, our families, and our communities so we can prevail in this fight.”

Additional COVID-related information for Hanscom can be found at www.Hanscom.af.mil/Coronavirus.