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Four questions at the gate to flatten COVID curve

Photo By Staff Sgt. Ryan Rayno | Spc. Robert Nelson, an infantryman with Comanche Troop, 1st Squadron, 2d Cavalry Regiment, compiles COVID-19 assessment data March 31, 2019, at the Comanche Troop Command Post on Clay Kaserne, Wiesbaden Germany.
April 01, 2020

WIESBADEN, Germany — Soldiers from Comanche Troop, 1st Squadron, 2d Cavalry Regiment, are stationed at the entrance gates in Wiesbaden to provide leaders with a snapshot of the health of everyone entering the military community.

“We’re here to augment the personnel at Wiesbaden, to help them mitigate and slow down the spread of the virus,” Sgt. 1st Class Kason Rackley, an infantryman with Comanche Troop, said.

Screeners ask every person wanting access to the installation four critical questions, including whether or not they have been in close contact with someone that has tested positive for COVID-19 within the past 14 days, if anyone is feeling sick such as experiencing shortness of breath, if anyone has a fever over 100.4 degrees and whether they have been tested for COVID-19.

If respondents answer yes to any of the questions, the gate screeners track and report that information to U.S. Army Europe and garrison leadership who will take any action deemed necessary to protect the force.

“Hopefully it helps out USAREUR and the Army as a whole in flattening the curve,” Rackley said.

The troops began the mission in a manner akin to an Emergency Deployment Readiness Exercise. The Troop was able to alert, move and be able to execute the mission with little notice. Leaders say their high state of readiness was key to this successful mini-deployment.

“So far my guys have been pretty resilient to the whole aspect of being rapidly deployed out here with little notice and assuming this unique mission set,” Rackley said.