COVID lockdown eases for Army medic trainees
More than 1,000 soldiers at San Antonio base granted off-post passes (but no booze) for first time in 14 months
SAN ANTONIO — With the pandemic easing, the Army said it would grant off-post passes to more than 1,000 soldiers in training at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston this weekend.
They’ll have to stay inside Loop 1604 and can’t hit the bars, but it’s the first time medics in training at the U.S. Army Medical Center of Excellence have been able to leave Fort Sam in 14 months.
And in two weeks, the center will hold its first open graduation ceremony in more than a year.
Starting Saturday, advanced individual training students in certain phases of instruction, and prior service trainees, can request daily passes through Memorial Day.
The center’s commander, Maj. Gen. Dennis LeMaster, expressed confidence that soldiers would follow good COVID-19 risk mitigation measures even as restrictions begin to loosen.
“Our personnel have proven that they know the right things to do to keep themselves, each other and our communities safe,” he said.
Soldiers have been confined to Fort Sam and other training environments to minimize the risk of coronavirus transmission since March 2020, when health protection conditions were imposed on all three JBSA installation and the Camp Bullis training range.
The Air Force’s Air Education and Training Command instituted similar restrictions, including major changes in basic military training that kept the virus from spreading to more than a fraction of the recruits.
It was not clear if AETC was considering a similar easing of movement and opening of graduation ceremonies for airmen in San Antonio and elsewhere. The 37th Training Wing on Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland said it could not give an immediate answer.
LeMaster said the center of excellence could hold what he called a “pilot” graduation ceremony at Fort Sam open to families and the community as early as mid-June if COVID cases continue to decline, with most graduations for medics to resume by mid-July.
“We are working closely with our JBSA partners to make a plan that will allow moms, dads and families to have a chance to visit their trainees and attend graduations very soon,” he said. “As JBSA begins to open its doors, it will truly feel like we are getting back to normal.”
Day passes for this weekend will be granted by company commanders. A release issued by the Center of Excellence noted that vaccinated and unvaccinated GIs could ask for a day pass from their assigned unit.
The Pentagon has not made vaccinations mandatory. Soldiers who are not vaccinated or not considered fully immunized two weeks after their second shot will be required to wear masks on and off post except when eating or exercising.
Soldiers can visit attractions such as SeaWorld and Fiesta Six Flags, but bars and clubs are offlimits, and drinking restrictions for soldiers in training remain in effect. No overnight passes will be granted.
LeMaster said he expected trainees to maintain high professional standards wherever they are.
“This situation is no different from holiday block leave,” he said. “Our soldiers know exactly what to do and I am confident they will do the right things, even when no one is looking.”