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Fort Greely commander directs civilians to work from home in response to covid ‘spike’

In response to a recent spike in covid cases locally, Fort Greely post commander Lt. Col. Joey Orr has directed the garrison's civilian workers to work from home, if their job doesn't require them to be at the workplace.
U.S. Army
In response to a recent spike in covid cases locally, Fort Greely post commander Lt. Col. Joey Orr has directed the garrison's civilian workers to work from home, if their job doesn't require them to be at the workplace.

Fort Greely’s post commander says he’s concerned about a recent spike in reports of COVID-19 locally and in the Fairbanks area. So he’s directing garrison civilian employees who are eligible to begin working from home, effective today.

The state Department of Health and Social Services says 44 cases of covid were reported in Delta Junction and surrounding area over the past week, through Thursday. And the Health Department says 45 cases were reported over the previous week. That’s more than double the number reported over the first week of January.

In response to that spike, Fort Greely Garrison Commander Lt. Col. Joey Orr sent a message to the workforce on Friday that says garrison civilians should transition into what’s called a “situational telework” status, beginning today.

A post spokesperson says a commander can institute that kind of teleworking to protect the health and safety of the workforce. That’s typically done when the weather is bad, like during last month’s winter storm. It also was temporarily instituted in early 2020, when the pandemic first began exponentially spreading.

There are about 225 civilian employees at Fort Greely, but not all work for the garrison. And the post spokesperson says not all those civilians will qualify to work from home – some, like those who operate snow-removal equipment, will have to show up for work. Civilians who do qualify to work from home will have to arrange it with their supervisor.

Tim Ellis has been working as a KUAC reporter/producer since 2010. He has more than 30 years experience in broadcast, print and online journalism.