Also serving the communities of De Luz, Rainbow, Camp Pendleton, Pala and Pauma

Camp Pendleton implements third-highest health protection order to fight coronavirus

Camp Pendleton and other Marine Corps installations in the western United States have implemented Health Protection Condition Bravo, the third-highest military health protection measure, in response to the growing novel coronavirus outbreak in the U.S.

“This condition encourages the base population to avoid unnecessary contact with others and discourages large public gatherings,” Capt. David Mancilla, operations officer at Camp Pendleton, said in an email statement.

A Marine training at Camp Pendleton tested positive for the coronavirus, the Marine Corps announced Friday, as did two shipboard sailors in San Diego and one sailor at Naval Air Station North Island, bringing the total of active-duty military service members in San Diego County testing positive for the virus to 13.

According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, the other military coronavirus cases in the San Diego area include three sailors at a Naval Base San Diego schoolhouse, three Marines at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, two sailors on the USS Boxer, and one sailor on the USS Coronado.

Mancilla said the medical isolation and observation center (MIOC), located in the 13 Area of Camp Pendleton, will be used to house personnel potentially exposed to the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19. The MIOC has nine barracks that house 16 rooms each, he said. Each room can house two patients at a time and are equipped with a shower and bathroom. The facility staff will properly separate guests by symptoms and their level of exposure to the virus. These levels include awaiting test results, positive test results and being treated, Mancilla said.

Personnel who are experiencing symptoms of the coronavirus, which can include a cough, fever and shortness of breath, or who have been exposed to the virus, were being told to stay home and seek advice from a medical professional.

“(Marine Corps Installations West) is continuing its coordination with interagency partners and local communities to support disease containment and mitigation operations, and we continue to assess and monitor the situation to ensure mission readiness for our forces and families,” Mancilla said in the statement. “We are making efforts to ensure that our force is educated on identifying COVID-19 symptoms to encourage self-reporting. This is done to bring awareness of what to do before there is a need for quarantine or isolation.”

Mancilla added that Camp Pendleton and other Marine Corps installations are “prepared to take measured action to preserve the health of the force and prevent the spread of COVID-19 while maintaining our operational readiness and ability to support deploying forces in support of missions in defense of our nation.”

Will Fritz can be reached by email at [email protected].

 

Reader Comments(0)