CAPE MAY – Recruit training is on hold at U.S. Coast Guard Training Center (TRACEN) Cape May, as Covid impacted most of its recruits, including one company that would have graduated Dec. 23.
Also, all safety measures implemented since the start of the pandemic are under review by Coast Guard staff and may be revamped.
Since Nov. 30, three companies waiting to begin basic training started seeing positive Covid test results and were in isolation or quarantine status.
One company graduated as scheduled Dec. 16, while the second one, N-199, is “paused,” according to an update by Capt. Kathy Felger, commanding officer, TRACEN.
All Covid positive recruits continue to be either asymptomatic or have only mild symptoms, she reported. No one required advanced medical care, and many cleared medical and testing protocols and are no longer quarantined.
N-199 is expected to resume training where it left off once cleared by medical, and graduate in the new year, according to Chief Warrant Officer Timothy Tamargo, public affairs officer, TRACEN.
Recruits Dec. 24-25 were given the opportunity to call home. By policy, TRACEN staff will not release a recruit’s personal information, including medical or training status.
Felger said they are taking “significant base-wide action to stop the spread of the virus and are developing plans that help care for our staff, families and our current/future recruit populations moving forward.”
