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JBSA ground transportation adapts to fight COVID-19

  • Published
  • By Rachel Kersey
  • 502nd Air Base Wing Public Affairs

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, TX  Joint Base San Antonio installations have begun segregating buses by health status to contain the spread of COVID-19 and ensure that the JBSA community stays healthy. As of March 21, all buses on any of the bases will be labeled either green, yellow, or red, to denote who can and cannot ride in which vehicles.  

 

 

The buses have a colored sign on the side of each vehicle. In the case of green buses and bus stops, the sign is also affixed to the map hanging at the bus stop.

Green buses are for personnel who are not Persons Under Investigation.

“You're not allowed to ride the buses if you have any symptoms of COVID-19 or if you’re a PUI, or if you're infected,” said Lt. Col. Glen Langdon, 502nd Logistics Readiness Squadron commander. “So the green routes are just for personnel who are presumed healthy.” 

A yellow sign indicates that a certain bus is specifically for personnel who are exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 or who have been exposed to someone who has tested positive for the virus. Anyone who rides the yellow bus must wear a mask and use hand sanitizer before boarding the vehicle.

“The red transportation is for transportation of personnel that are COVID-19 positives,” Langdon said. “And some examples could be the person has been diagnosed with the virus but they need to be moved to an isolation facility from the med clinic, or they need to move from one isolation facility to another or back to the medical folks for further assessment or further care if required.” 

Those riding red buses must also wear a mask and use hand sanitizer before boarding the vehicle. In all buses, riders must keep six feet between them and any other person on board. In a 44-passenger bus, only twelve people are allowed to board. In a twelve-passenger van, there can be no more than two passengers.

Yellow buses and red buses are requested specifically by a squadron to transport personnel to specific locations. In accordance with guidelines developed with the Centers for Disease Control, the Public Health Emergency Officer, and JBSA, the yellow and red buses are cleaned with a mixture of bleach and water after each ride to curb potential transmission of the virus to other people. Green buses are cleaned every hour.