Fort Drum ramps up COVID precautions on post

FORT DRUM, New York (WWNY) - Fort Drum is ramping up COVID-19 precautions as it sees a “persistence of new cases in the community.”

Fort Drum has transitioned from what it calls Health Protection Condition, or HPCON, Alpha Plus to HPCON Bravo.

Under the new classification, Fort Drum is making changes to all its food courts and dining facilities to ensure social distancing.

Measures like 50-percent capacity in public facilities, social distancing, and tele-meetings were all implemented under HPCON Alpha Plus.

Colonel Matthew Mapes, MEDDAC commander, says cases started increasing in the beginning of the month, similar to the increases seen across Jefferson County.

“Fortunately those numbers have declined over the past three weeks, which is good news. However, we want to ensure those numbers continue to decline. That’s why we’re implementing just a couple additional measures to make sure we can protect our force, protect our families, and protect the community,” he said.

Colonel Mapes says Fort Drum will continue to monitor cases and re-evaluate protocols if needed.

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