New York National Guard supports COVID-19 travel safety operations

Photo By Master Sgt. Brandy Fowler | Army Sgt. Benjamin Zawacki and Spc. Kevin Hamilton, Soldiers assigned to 105th Military Police Company, Buffalo, N.Y., sanitize their hands between flight arrivals at Buffalo-Niagara International Airport, supporting the state’s travel advisory Oct. 23, 2020. The team meets arriving passengers to distribute the State Department of Health Traveler form to travelers coming from restricted states. New York Guard Soldiers and Airmen continue to conduct missions in support of the COVID-19 response. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Brandy Fowler)  

BUFFALO, NY, UNITED STATES

10.23.2020

Story by Master Sgt. Brandy Fowler 

107th Attack Wing

Passenger getting off planes coming from outside New York are now being greeted by New York National Guard Soldiers and Airmen assisting the Department of Health in enforcing New York’s COVID-19 travel restrictions.

Since October 16, Soldiers and Airmen at airports across the state have been ensuring that passengers fill out a questionnaire that enables them to comply with an executive order issued by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo in June. That order mandates that non-essential travelers coming from state’s with a high community spread of COVID-19 quarantine for 14 days when entering New York.

As of October all but a few states in the United States are on the list.

“Our responsibility is to assist travelers from any of those states make sure they fill out the questionnaire forms and submit them to the state Department of Health officials located in the airport”, explained Air National Guard Master Sgt. Adam Winters, the non-commissioned officer in charge, of the team at the Buffalo-Niagara International Airport

The team at the Buffalo-Niagara Airport consists of Airmen from the 109th Airlift Wing based at Stratton Air National Guard Base in Scotia and Soldiers from the 105th Military Police Company in Buffalo. One hundred Guard Soldiers and Airmen are assigned to the mission at the state’s airports which include John F. Kennedy Airport and LaGuardia Airport in New York City, along with the smaller airports in Buffalo, Syracuse, Albany and Rochester.

The Soldiers and Airmen are there to greet travelers and request proof of completion of the travel advisory health forms, Winters explained. Travelers are asked to prove that they completed an online app on their phone or fill out and submit a form.

“We are not peace officers for this mission, and are only trying to enforce the executive order that has been issued by the governor,” Winters said. “Guardsmen are taking consideration for each passenger by explaining the executive order and ensuring that this is for the overall safety of all travelers.”

The travel advisory helps to track possible positive COVID-19 cases as well as allow the Department of Health to reach out to anyone who may have been in contact with a positive case, so that proper measures are taken to preserve the well-being of New York State residents and visitors, according to the Department of Health.

“It’s rewarding to help with the pandemic the best we can,” said Army National Guard Spc. Kassandra Bissell. “We are assisting the Department of Health to keep the public safe.”

• Date Taken: 10.23.2020
• Date Posted: 10.27.2020 16:35
• Story ID: 381858
• Location: BUFFALO, NY, US