COVID-19 Information - 103rd Airlift Wing

As the situation regarding the COVID-19 pandemic evolves, please take note of the following information to ensure the health and safety of your Wingmen and families and to maintain mission readiness. This information is specific to the 103rd Airlift Wing; for public health and COVID-19 response information, as well as Air Force and DOD-wide directives, please consult the official information channels listed below.

- Masking: Due to the risks posed by the delta variant, the Department of Defense reinstituted a masking requirement for all personnel regardless of vaccination status in areas of substantial or high rates of community COVID infections (greater than 50 cases per 100,000 per week). Connecticut currently meets that standard. Effective August 2, 2021, all persons must wear a mask while indoors at Connecticut National Guard facilities.

- Base Access:  In accordance with the COVID-19 Force Health Protection Measure dated 19 March 2020 (below), until further notice, access to Bradley Air National Guard Base is limited to individuals whose physical attendance is necessary on the installation.

Specifically, only state and federal government employees, contractors, agents and volunteers who are assigned to or have business within the 103rd Airlift Wing are permitted onto the installation.

All visitors (family members, dependents, retirees, non-CAC holders, etc.) entering the installation must have a reason to enter and have approval to enter. Requests for any visitors on the base must be routed through Security Forces via the following POC's:

Lt. Col. William Deme - SFS/CC (860) 292-2553 SMSgt Richard Marks - SFS/SFM (860) 292-2315

These temporary standards are being put in place to enhance social distancing, limit person to person contact, and ensure the health of the force. Please direct any questions to the POC's listed above.

- For our full-time staff, if you do not feel well, do not come into work but call your supervisor. A checklist has been made available for work center supervisors to make an assessment on the individual and whether they should attend. If you are unsure please have the member call 860-292-2792 or 860-292-2714 to and speak with our Public Health personnel that can provide the appropriate guidance. Additional guidance on leave procedures for both AGR and Technician members has been distributed; contact your supervisor with any questions.

- Gate entry procedures: As a precautionary measure, personnel entering Bradley Air National Guard Base will no longer hand their ID cards to the Contract Security/SF Members at the Installation Entry Control Point. Instead, they will hold their ID card, first showing the front so officers can verify their identity/picture, then they will flip the card and hold it so officers can scan the back of the ID card. All passengers will need to position themselves where they can hold their ID up to the window. This is a measure to ensure the health and safety of our community members and officers.

ID Cards:  DEERS ID appointments are Tuesdays and Thursdays. Tuesday appointments will only be for military members and Thursday appointments will be for Retiree and Dependent IDs.  Please keep in mind everyone will need to be wearing a mask when coming to get an ID card. If a family is coming to get ID cards, only the sponsor and the member getting the ID at the scheduled time should be in the building. Once one person gets their ID card, the member will leave and get the next person from that family to get their ID card. This is to limit the amount of people in the waiting area all at once.

Please call the ID card office at 860-292-2368 to get an appointment scheduled. Every individual will need their own appointment.

- The Base Fitness Center is now open 24/7 as of March 18, 2021. Members will sign in upon arrival and follow posted health protection measures.

- Financial Resources: If any of our members are experiencing financial hardship as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak, resources are available.

The Family Assistance Centers are in operation at Bradley Air National Guard Base, WLRC, NRC and the New London Armories. Please call 1-800-858-2677 for assistance with applying for financial hardship funds. The phone number is available 24/7.

- Staying Connected during Social Distancing: The Connecticut National Guard remains ready and able to support our community as we face this new challenge. The support of the Connecticut National Guard extends to our service members, their families, and our community as well. Remember that social distancing only limits physical interaction, not your ability to check in on each other and provide resources. Support services of the Connecticut National Guard are here to support you! You are not alone and we will get through this together.

If you, or someone you care about, are feeling overwhelmed with emotions like sadness, depression, or anxiety, or feel like you need additional information please do not hesitate to reach out:

• BH Helpline (855) 800-0120
• Chaplain Wismar (860) 883-5278
• 103rd AW DPH Lindsey Rohner (860) 519-8125
• 24 Hour Crisis Line (800) 273-8255, press 1, or text line 741741
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA’s) Disaster Distress Helpline: 1-800-985-5990 or text TalkWithUs to 66746. (TTY 1-800-846-8517)

Stay up to date with the latest information on COVID-19:

CDC: https://www.coronavirus.govhttps://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/

U.S. Government Response: https://www.usa.gov/coronavirus

State of Connecticut: https://portal.ct.gov/coronavirus

National Guard Response: https://www.nationalguard.mil/coronavirus/

Air Force: https://www.af.mil/News/Coronavirus-Disease-2019/

DOD: https://www.defense.gov/Explore/Spotlight/Coronavirus/