Joint Base Further Restricts Access Due To Coronavirus

Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst is further restricting access to its base to prevent the further spread of new coronavirus, military officials announced. The new restriction will take effect at 12:01 a.m. Saturday morning, Base Commander Col. Bridget Gigliotti said.

“Given the CDC has now declared that NJ has ‘widespread community transmission’ of COVID-19, my intent is to reduce the amount of activity on the installation to the maximum extent possible to ensure the safety of our personnel and their families and to maintain mission readiness,” Gigliotti said in a statement.

Access will be restricted to all but the following groups:

• Active duty military and their dependents (all Services);
• Uniformed Reserve and Guard members who work on the base;
• All United Communities base housing residents;
• Balfour Beatty Communities housing residents living on Lakehurst proper;
• Essential DoD civilians as directed by their unit commander/director;
• Mission essential contractors who have their contractor ID card as directed by the 87th Contracting Squadron or their Service Contracting Office;
• Those who have current visitor's passes until their expiration date (new passes will only be issued with unit commander/director or above approval); and
• Mail and deliveries through Commercial Gate.

Anyone else who would otherwise have access will not have access until further notice, Gigliotti said.

New Jersey Coronavirus Updates: Don't miss local and statewide announcements about novel coronavirus precautions. Sign up for Patch alerts and daily newsletters.

“I realize this will create a temporary inconvenience for many in our community,” Gigliotti said. “This action is necessary to preserve our mission capabilities, which means we must take all necessary measures to protect the men and women who execute the mission, and their families.”

These measures are critical to help the base complete its mission, and will reduce overcrowding to prevent further spread of the disease, Gigliotti said. There has already been at least one case of new coronavirus reported at the base. The person was a dependent of a military service member who was self-quarantining off-base. Read more here: 1st Positive Coronavirus Case At Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst

The base covers both Burlington and Ocean counties. As of Thursday, Burlington County had 299 total cases of coronavirus, with nine deaths and 15 people who had been cleared from quarantine.

Thirty-eight Ocean County residents who have tested positive for new coronavirus have died. There are over 1,000 total cases in the county.

See related: NJ Coronavirus Updates: Here's What You Need To Know