Keesler Air Force Base personnel must wear masks – but they have to make them
Keesler Air Force Base in Mississippi is heeding the advice of top health officials as COVID-19 infections and deaths continue to rise.
But with medical-grade masks already in short supply, service members are left to craft their own face coverings.
“As an interim measure, all individuals are encouraged to fashion face coverings from household items or common materials such as clean T-shirts or other clean cloths that can cover the nose and face,” Secretary of Defense Mark Esper wrote in an April 5 memo highlighting guidelines for the military.
Medical-grade masks and personal protective equipment will be reserved for health care professionals on the front lines of the fast-spreading virus, Esper said.
Keesler announced Wednesday it would require all personnel to begin wearing cloth face masks in public, following recent guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention aimed at slowing the spread of the disease.
The United States has over 430,000 confirmed coronavirus cases and nearly 15,000 deaths as of Thursday morning.
Mississippi has reported over 2,000 cases and 60 deaths.
Public health experts have urged citizens to continue practicing social distancing amid an uptick in the number of asymptomatic cases, meaning the COVID-19 virus can still be passed by those who don’t know they have it.
“All individuals will wear cloth face coverings when they cannot maintain six feet of physical distancing in public areas and work centers on DoD installations,” the memo from Esper says. “The Department will continue to implement force protective measures to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 to our total force, and their families, and the American people.”
The directive also applies to all Department of Defense civilian employees, contractors, their families and all others who visit properties and installations, the memo states.
With the new guidance also comes a dress code, limiting the cloth masks to eight neutral colors / patterns: white, black, tan, coyote brown, sage green, olive green, Operational Camouflage Pattern (OCP) and Airman Battle Uniform (ABU) pattern.
The U.S. Army post at Fort Benning, Georgia, is also encouraging soldiers to wear work-appropriate masks either indoors or outdoors while in uniform.
“Soldiers shouldn’t wear a mask that have printed wording, profanity, racist, demeaning or derogatory logos, script or imagery,” Ben Garrett, public affairs chief for the base’s Maneuver Center of Excellence, told McClatchy News via email. “Leaders must use their best judgment when it comes to color, fit and design of face masks and approach this as a force protection issue.”
In a clip posted to the DoD’s Twitter account, it’s also demonstrated how to make the masks out of T-shirts and bandannas for proper use.