NEW COVID-19 FACE COVERING POLICY

No later than 0730 Friday, July 30, new signage will be in place at installation facilities with the following protocols in effect:

Face coverings are MANDATORY when entering any facility including, but not limited to:

• Medical/Dental Facilities

• Commissary

• All MCCS Facilities (MCX, CDC, food venues, golf course clubhouse)

• All Fitness Centers

• Operational Spaces

Face coverings are NOT required for people who:

• Are under the age of 2 (per CDC guidelines)

• Are actively eating or drinking

• When an individual is alone in an office with floor-to-ceiling walls with a closed door.

NO changes to current outdoor activities: Training, Conditioning Hikes, and PT.  *Tenant Commanders have the authority to enact stricter protocols to meet mission requirements.

COVID-19 cases continue to increase across the country.   Local communities, the surrounding counties and MCLB Albany are experiencing high community transmission and positive case rates due to the surging Delta variant of COVID.  Current data indicates that those infected with the Delta variant experience higher viral loads and are more contagious than those infected with other strains. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local health officials continue to stress that the current surge impacts the unvaccinated portion of the population most significantly.  Evidence continues to support the safety and effectiveness of Emergency Use Authorization vaccines as they provide protection against the variants circulating in the United States.  The overwhelming majority of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths occur in those who remain unvaccinated. 

The Moderna vaccine remains available at the Naval Branch Health Clinic, https://informatics-stage.health.mil/COVAX or call 639-5997.

The Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson/Janssen vaccines are available through the local community at the Department of Public Health, Phoebe Medical Center and some stores such as Walmart, Walgreens and CVS.

We continue to recommend adherence to the 3W’s – wash your hands, stand 6 feet apart (social distance), and wear your mask. 

Any personnel with COVID-like/flu-like symptoms should stay home from work and seek additional information from their healthcare providers.  Personnel awaiting COVID test results should stay home and isolate themselves from others.

For more information about COVID-19, please visit https://www.albany.marines.mil/ and scroll down to COVID-19 Resources.