Davis-Monthan orders COVID-19 restrictions as cases strike Southern Az

Posted Dec 9, 2020

Dylan Smith
TucsonSentinel.com

USAF

Tucson's Davis-Monthan air base has ordered an increase in restrictions to "Health Protection Condition Charlie" — the second-most stringent set of measures — in response to the increasing coronavirus outbreak in Southern Arizona.

Col. Joseph Turnham, the commander of the 355th Wing, ordered the upgrade in the base's status on Wednesday, calling it a "prudent measure... in response to the increase in confirmed COVID cases in the region," a news release from D-M said.

"The health of our airmen, families and the community remains our top priority. This will help minimize the potential spread of the virus at D-M and in the local area," the release said.

The base's status was increased from "Bravo." In March, at the beginning of the outbreak in Arizona, the Air Force ordered a pause in flight operations and that "Charlie" status be implemented.

Fort Huachuca in Sierra Vista has also ordered more stringent measures on that U.S. Army base this week.

The measures in effect on the Tucson base include:

Observance of strict hygiene practices
Physical distancing to the maximum extent possible
Mask requirements for personnel that are unable to maintain six feet of physical distance
Cancellation of large-scale community events

The only remaining step on the list of health protection measures is "Delta" status, which includes quarantines and mass evacuations.

About 80 of the Air Force's 320 A-10 "Warthog" attack jets are based in Tucson.

The heavily armored, fixed-wing aircraft specializes in close-air ground support and has the ability to take heavy fire while attacking tanks, armored vehicles and other targets.