The Dover Air Force Base goes under a shelter-in-place order starting Tuesday at 8 a.m. as a result of the expanding local outbreak of the new coronavirus.
All base personnel are required to shelter in their homes unless obtaining food, seeking medical care, caring for an immediate relative, or engaging in outdoor activities like walking or running — and must stay at least six feet apart from others. The restrictions will remain in effect through May 15.
All on-base gatherings of more than 10 people will be cancelled until that time, unless they are deemed “mission-essential.”
The order from 436th Airlift Wing commander Col. Matthew Jones follows a similar order from Gov. John Carney requiring “non-essential” businesses throughout the state to close.
In a statement, Jones acknowledged the “inconvenience” the measures on the base will create — but called them the “safest course of action.”
“The quicker we all abide by these provisions, the quicker we can get past this issue," said Jones.
But an influential analysis out of Imperial College London has shown that effectively suppressing the virus in the U.S. may take many monthsof large-scale social distancing — until a vaccine is developed.
