WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE — Wright Patterson Air Force Base has confirmed three new cases of coronavirus amongst their staff, according to a social media post made by the installation.
The base first identified an employee at the Child Development Center who had tested positive for COVID-19. Subsequent testing revealed two other members of base personnel also were positive for the coronavirus. In an update to their initial posting, the base confirmed that the facility opened to children last week.
According to the initial notification on June 14, the first identified positive employee does not have regular contact with children. However, the other two employees have had contact with children cared for at the facility. Those families have been notified, and are “working with Public Health officials on follow-up actions,” according to the updated post.
Wright-Patterson is currently conducting contact tracing for both the affected employees and families who have had contact with those employees. Staff who have been in contact with those individuals have been instructed to self-isolate.
All CDC facilities were cleaned overnight on Monday night, and both the Wright Field North and South facilities were closed all day Tuesday. Base leadership is working with public health officials to determine how operations at these facilities will proceed for the rest of the week.
“This is an evolving situation,” their initial statement said. “The safety of everyone on Wright-Patterson AFB, including children, is the utmost priority for our installation leadership. The Child Development Centers follow the guidance provided by the Centers for Disease Control. Screenings and temperature checks are conducted for anyone entering the facilities and employees wear masks when social distancing guidelines are not met.”
Base commander Col. Patrick Miller will hold a Facebook town hall Wednesday, June 17 at 4:30 p.m. to address the coronavirus situation at the base. Any questions addressed to Miller should be addressed to [email protected].
