BEALE AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- According to the World Health Organization (WHO), COVID-19 can spread through small droplets released when an infected person coughs or exhales. These droplets land on surfaces around a person and put other people at risk of getting infected. To prevent the spreading of COVID-19, Airmen are sanitizing the U-2 Dragon Lady’s cockpit regularly, ensuring the safety of U-2 pilots and Airmen working on the aircraft.
“These aircraft will fly multiple times a day. We’ll see multiple different pilots, as well as different maintenance crews in and out of the aircraft,” said Staff Sgt. Brandon Green, 99th Aircraft Maintenance Unit dedicated crew chief. “With all these different personnel that are in and out of the aircraft, it puts people at risk of accidentally spreading the virus. We’re trying to eliminate any harmful viruses or bacteria in the cockpit that could potentially be transmitted to other people.”
Airmen at Beale are actively engaged and have a plan in place to mitigate the threat of COVID-19 transmission to other Airmen.
“The plan is between every crew that gets in and out of the cockpit, whether it’s the pilots, the maintenance crews, or the support crews for the pilots, we’re going to sanitize the cockpit as soon as they get out, and when another crew enters the cockpit,” said Green.
This new procedure is just one of the many ways Airmen at Beale are fighting the spread of COVID-19.
“We will continue to work with Public Health and the other agencies on base to help reduce the spread of the virus,” said Green.
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 visiting the clinic.