Civilian employees at two Defense Department facilities report that their leadership has failed to act sufficiently to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus, potentially putting employees and service members at risk for infection.
Naval Support Activity Naples, home to the U.S. Sixth Fleet, is located in Italy, one of the nations hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. But employees say base leaders have resisted calls to suspend non-essential services to slow the virus’ spread, effectively defying a country-wide lockdown.
In Virginia, employees at a base just outside of Washington, D.C., filed an Occupational Safety and Health Administration complaint, alleging that a medical center failed to respond to an employee’s positive coronavirus diagnosis.