An airman assigned to Dobbins Air Reserve Base has tested positive for COVID-19, the Marietta-based installation said Wednesday.
The airman, who works and lives "several hours" from Dobbins, is a reservist with the 94th Airlift Wing and has not been on site since March 8, Dobbins said on its Facebook page. Dobbins said the airman is at home in isolation.
“Keeping our airmen safe and healthy is crucial. We are taking deliberate measures to physically distance and telework to the max extent, while sustaining our ability to maintain critical operations here,” said Col. Craig McPike, Dobbins installation commander. “We remain in compliance with local, state and federal guidance to combat the spread of COVID-19.”
MORE | the AJC's complete coronavirus coverage
Dobbins Air Reserve Base served as the site where nearly 500 passengers from the Princess Diamond cruise ship hit hard by the novel coronavirus were quarantined. Those passengers began arriving March 11 and all were gone by March 25.
Fifteen of those passengers who tested positive were moved to a former Radisson Hotel the federal government is leasing in Marietta and the remaining were allowed to return home. The hotel, according to HHS, was reserved for passengers who need to be isolated but not hospitalized.
Dobbins has restricted access to the base to essential personnel, who are required to follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines of frequently washing their hands and social distancing to help slow the spread of the novel coronavirus. Personnel who can not physically distance themselves from others are required to wear a face mask, Dobbins said.
AJC reporter Jeremy Redmon contributed to this story.
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