General Order No. 1 ‘still in effect’

The number of COVID-19 cases in an area up to 100 miles around Fort Rucker is being monitored on a daily basis by the decision makers on the military installation.

“The fact is that the case rates remain unstable with spikes occurring above the average case rate,” said Maj. Gen. David Francis. “Based on this information and our unique mission at Fort Rucker, General Order No. 1 and all of its directives will remain in effect.”

Francis is the United States Army Aviation Center of Excellence and Fort Rucker Command General. He was joined by Aviation Branch Command Sergeant Major Sgt. Maj. Brian Hauke, Fort Rucker Garrison Commander Col. Whitney Gardner and Lyster Medical Clinic Commander Col. Jimmie Tolvert for a Facebook Live status update Monday, May 11.

The daily assessment of the COVID situation monitors case rates at 25, 50 and 100 mile distances, which includes counties in Alabama and portions of Florida and Georgia, Francis said, as he outlined the preventive measures implemented during the ongoing pandemic.

Some of these include restricted travel to essential travel only, restricted visitors that come from outside a 50-mile radius of Fort Rucker and limiting gatherings to 10 people or less.

“We have decided to start a phased opening of facilities and services on post where the conditions exist to allow us to do that safely,” Francis said. “Thank you for your diligence and grit that will see us through this crisis by protecting our people, our mission and our local communities.”

Francis said that despite Gov. Kay Ivey’s “Safer at Home” order that became effective May 11 which relaxes many of the restrictions that the state had in place, the restrictions on post remain. “She has done this to re-open the economy here in Alabama. The priorities at Fort Rucker remain the protection of our people, protection of our mission and the protection of our local community,” he said. “This is a different problem that what the state has to solve, therefore we will go about solving it a little differently.”

“Now more than ever we must remain disciplined,” Hauke said. “As such, all protective measures we currently have in place will continue to remain in effect.”

Gardner said that daily status updates on operations and services on Fort Rucker are available on the post’s website and social media page. Calling it a “team effort document,” Gardner said that the newest updates are highlighted in red type.

Included in the openings are the barbershops at the main post exchange and mini-mall hours Tuesday, May 12, Gardner said. The tax assistance center will open May 26.

The gym will remain closed but the indoor swimming pool at the main fitness center will open Friday, May 15. The center library will be open next week.

Tolvert said that Lyster Medical Clinic will reopen in three phases. Details on all re-openings are posted on the Lyster Medical Clinic Facebook page, he said.

“Once we see the case rates go down in our local surrounding areas to an acceptable rate we will start to expand that radius a bit but we are not there right now,” Francis said. “We provide a critical mission that impacts our Army on a daily basis and without your diligence we couldn’t get that done.”