NAS Pax Transitions to HPCON Bravo
As a result of rising COVID cases throughout Calvert and St. Mary’s counties, NAS Patuxent River has transitioned to HPCON Bravo this week.
The change from Health Protection Condition (HPCON) Alpha to HPCON Bravo was effective at 7 am August 8, 2022. HPCONs are protocols for public health emergencies, such as a pandemic.
Commanders review and update these HPCONs based on risk levels within a local community and in cooperation with local, state, or host nation guidance. Military leaders and public health personnel use them to guide actions taken in response to a health threat.
At NAS Patuxent River, reports of COVID positive cases among personnel working aboard the installation have remained relatively low. But rising community COVID transmission numbers, particularly among unvaccinated personnel, has driven the need for greater protections against the virus.
“We’ve seen a rising trend in cases over the last few months leading us to take the protective measure to move back in to HPCON Bravo,” said CAPT Derrick Kingsley, NAS Pax River commanding officer. “After conferring with our health protection officers it was determined this was the appropriate action to protect our personnel from the continued presence of COVID and its variants.”
If the community level should reach high per CDC guidelines, stricter HPCON levels may have to be enacted on base. The shift to HPCON Bravo is intended to mitigate the rise in COVID cases and prevent that if possible.
“I want to encourage everyone to be safe, exercise good judgment, and stay home from work if they are ill,” added Kingsley. “We all have to do our part to stop the spread.”
