RAF Mildenhall responds to COVID-19

Photo By Staff Sgt. Luke Milano | Mildenhall Airmen maintain a distance of six feet while waiting in line at the dining facility to prevent the spread of COVID-19 on RAF Mildenhall, England, March 25, 2020. Such practices have been implemented across the base to prevent the spread of the disease. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Luke Milano)  

RAF MILDENHALL, SUFFOLK, UNITED KINGDOM

03.31.2020

Story by Staff Sgt. Luke Milano 

100th Air Refueling Wing   

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, RAF Mildenhall leadership has taken action to mitigate the spread of the virus while still maintaining mission readiness.
“This pandemic, in general, has not only had an impact at this base but across the entire globe, including where we fit in the architecture of the military,” said Col. Troy Pananon, 100th Air Refueling Wing commander.
“For day-to-day operations, we still execute what we need to based on mission requirements, since we have allies and partners who depend on us. But we’re maximizing telework, social distancing and creating teams that can still perform the mission while implementing mitigation measures to ensure the health and safety of our trained Airmen and civilian personnel.”
While operations continue, extra precautions have been put in place to help prevent the spread of the virus.
Many base services have been closed including schools, playgrounds and parks to minimize the chance of spreading the virus, Pananon said.
Along with restrictions implemented on base, Airmen must also adhere to host nation restrictions.
“As soon as the Prime Minister announced his imposed restrictions, we took those and drafted a policy letter that is in line with exactly what the UK government implemented, and we will enforce these measures with our own personnel,” said Pananon.
The local community plays an important part in enabling RAF Mildenhall to get the mission accomplished.
“We value the relationship we have with the local community and national government, so we are working together with the other Air Force wings here so we can give assurances to the local community that we are responding to this pandemic, but we are also ready and able to conduct our mission that we are here for,” Pananon added.

• Date Taken: 03.31.2020
• Date Posted: 03.31.2020 05:16
• Story ID: 366222
• Location: RAF MILDENHALL, SUFFOLK, GB