MAGAZINE
FALL 2020
CORONAVIRUS
MITIGATION A LOOK
BACK
By German Army Lieutenant Colonel Christian VOGL , LANDCOM GMED
The Coronavirus outbreak was first reported in Wuhan , China on December 31 , 2019 . By January 30 the World Health Organisation declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern . When thiw happened , LANDCOM staff began to more closely monitor and analyse the ongoing situation and , alongside our Turkish hosts , began developing counter measures to reduce chances of transmission within the LANDCOM community and prevent the virus from entering the headquarters . The outbreak was officially declared a global pandemic March 11 , the same day Turkey reported its first case . As the situation developed , preventative measures within the headquarters were deliberately escalated and eventually , once rates began to decrease in Turkey , a guided recovery phase began . Physical distancing and reducing transmission via droplets were the guiding principles of the preventative measures . LANDCOM initiated an information campaign to inform staff of preventative measures that included such things as hand washing , cough etiquette , disinfection and protocols to follow in the event of suspected cases . A dedicated LANDCOM cleaning team conducted a full disinfection of the headquarters building and base facilities on a monthly basis . This was in addition to increasing the frequency of daily cleaning in order to remove traces of the virus remaining on any surfaces . In order to reduce the density of personnel in the building and minimise frequency of contact , staff levels were gradually reduced to 25-50 percent , with many working remotely from home . Temperature checks were taken at the base entry control point to prevent anyone carrying the virus from entering the workplace . In the headquarters the conduct of meetings transitioned from physical meeting rooms to virtual meetings via Lync .
Once the situation in Turkey began to stabilise with the rates of new cases declining , the staff began enacting LANDCOM ’ s COVID-19 Regeneration Plan in line with host nation recommendations and regulations . The staff levels gradually increased and base facilities were restored in accordance with analysis of medical and host nation indicators . Physical distancing at 1.5 metres , the wearing of face masks , and vigilance in following preventative measures such as hand washing remain essential to protecting the staff . Throughout the process the health of LANDCOM staff and their families has been the top priority and has dictated the measures taken . Fortunately , LANDCOM had zero confirmed cases of the virus among the staff , proving the mitigation techniques a successful vanguard against this dangerous pathogen . LC
28