9th Medical Group Establishes Entry Control Point Published March 19, 2020 By Airman 1st Class Luis A. Ruiz-Vazquez 9th Reconnaissance Wing Public Affairs BEALE AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- On Mar. 11, 2020 the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic. Although there have been no confirmed cases of COVID-19 at Beale, many precautionary measures have already been implemented to protect Airmen and their families from the virus. On Mar. 10 the 9th Reconnaissance Wing Commander declared Health Protection Condition (HPCON) Bravo in response to the growing health threat. Airmen are required to practice strict hygiene, there will be no handshaking, and Airmen will wipe down common use items. To prevent the further spread of the virus, the 9th Medical Group (MDG) established a single Entry Control Point (ECP) at the Beale Clinic, where people entering the clinic are screened. “We’re going through and seeing if anyone has been traveling outside the country within the last fourteen days,” said Senior Airman Christopher Miracle, 9th MDG optometry technician. “We offer them masks to put on if they have traveled outside of the country or are experiencing flu like symptoms.” Instead of visiting the clinic, the 9th Medical group is directing sick Airmen to stay home, notify their supervisor, and contact Public Health if they have been in contact with a confirmed COVID-19 patient, or have recently traveled to a country affected by the COVID-19 virus. “The affected countries that we’re looking for are Japan, Korea, Iran, China and Italy,” said Miracle. “The masks we give to people walking into the clinic help prevent the spread of the virus through droplets.” If you've been exposed to someone with COVID-19 or believe you may have it, please call Public Health at (530) 634-4945 rather than visit the clinic.