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MacDill leaders minimize in-person work again, citing rising coronavirus spread

The base reported a small uptick in confirmed COVID-19 cases traced to small gatherings off base.
 
The main entrance to MacDill Air Force Base.
The main entrance to MacDill Air Force Base. [ Times (2018) ]
Published Nov. 20, 2020

TAMPA — MacDill Air Force Base is back to minimizing the number of service members and civilian employees working on base due to rising cases of COVID-19 locally and across the country, according to officials.

Col. Benjamin Jonsson, commander of the 6th Air Refueling Wing and the base’s de facto mayor, has delegated authority to commanders to make decisions about how many people they need in the workplace, while once again encouraging maximum teleworking, according to a video posted on the base’s Facebook page.

While the base does not provide figures, “we’ve had a very small uptick in confirmed COVID-19 cases, most of which can be traced back to small social gatherings off base,” said Lt. Christopher Thibeaux-Moore, spokesman for the 6th Air Refueling Wing in a statement.

The Department of Defense reported a cumulative 69,390 cases of COVID-19 among service members as of Wednesday.

Florida’s Department of Health reported more than 10,100 infections in a single day on Sunday – the highest daily caseload since the height of the summer surge in mid-July, as reported by the Tampa Bay Times.

“It is a high risk period for these next couple months,” Jonsson said.

He attributed that to the coming holidays and associated travel, flu season, local numbers tracking upward and coronavirus vaccines being currently unavailable.

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