^{While social media churns on the events of the week in Washington and Guam, my focus over the past few days has been on those frontline sailors on deployment and here at the piers who are dealing with this silent enemy on the deckplates right now. I have had the luxury of staying home with my family for the past three weeks weeks—they have not. Fortunately, I never had to deal with such a challenge, but have thought about it long and hard in the context of “what would do”? As a recovering nuke, I always found it useful to write things down, in this case resulting in a notional “COVID-19 Standing Order” which represents the way this particular commanding officer might have communicated with his crew back in the day. It is offered here as a “template” or “thought exercise” with no illusions that it is the ultimate solution, but in the hopes that those on the frontlines might find it useful. As a disclaimer, Navy leaders have issued much detailed guidance while still granting commanding officers a great deal of discretion—nothing herein is a recommendation to not fully comply with that guidance or to imply that these are the “right” answers! I also would provide a copy to my boss and allow him or her to weigh in. These measures might not apply to ships in all situations, or in some cases, not at all, such as if the ship has been underway for a pre-determined period. Here we go:}

^{Standing Order Number 19}

^{Crew Responsibilities during COVID-19 Measures}

1. ^{IAW COMNAVSURFPAC/COMNAVSURFLANT INSTRUCTION 3120.3, The standing orders should provide “a compendium of processes and procedures to be followed by the crew on a day-to-day basis.” This standing order provides guidance and direction for the conduct of business on board the USS Ship during the COVID-19 mitigation period. Nothing herein supersedes Navy or CDC guidance but acknowledges that mitigation guidelines, such as maintaining six-feet separation, not touching one’s hands and face, and frequent handwashing, while simple for those of us at home, are challenging on board ship. That said, one way to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus is to resist the urge to feel invincible and that routine shipboard matters must always take precedence over safety and mitigation measures. There is no choice between crew readiness and unit readiness—we cannot have one without the other. Like any other enemy, our strategy to defeat the coronavirus is simple: keep it out, and if it penetrate our defenses, isolate and attack. The following measures are to be executed unless exceptions are authorized by the Executive Officer:}

• ^{Maintain six-feet separation from other crew members when not necessary for standing watch or performing maintenance.}
• ^{Wash hands frequently, at least before and after every meal.}
• ^{Reduce or eliminate meetings and briefs. When possible, hold via Site TV or internal net.}
• ^{Disinfect keyboards, watch stations, and headsets once per watch using approved disinfectant cleaning solution.}
• ^{Wear face masks at all times except when eating or in your rack. This includes in staterooms and berthing when other crew members are present.}
• ^{Report to medical if you are showing any signs of illness, especially if coughing or sneezing, warm or feverish or other symptoms like loss of taste or smell. Remember that it may take days for symptoms to show, and some are asymptomatic.}
• ^{Meal hours will be extended to allow for “every other seat” spacing during meals in all messing areas (mess decks, wardroom, CPO mess).}
• ^{The ship’s gymnasium is closed.}
• ^{Cleaning stations will be held twice daily, with a focus on doors, ladder wells, and high-traffic areas using disinfectant cleaning solution.}

2. ^{Meetings will be avoided if possible, held virtually, or limited to ten personnel or less with six-feet separation between attendees, and only if specifically approved by the executive officer. Some additional guidelines are provided below. Bottom line—if you do not have to be together in a group, do not do so.}

• ^{Officer’s call and quarters are optional unless they can be conducted while maintaining six-feet separation. Communicate by other means, including 1mc, e-mail, or internal net. If you are an effective communicator, your Sailors will know what they are supposed to be doing.}
• ^{The following requirements are waived until further notice: menu review board, MWR meetings, safety committee meetings. As an alternative, such meetings may be conducted via internal net or other means with personnel off the ship (i.e., 8 O’clock and 12 O’clock reports will be submitted electronically.)}

3. ^{The following maintenance and training requirements are modified as follows until further notice:}

• ^{PMS spot checks (assessors may inspect completed PMS actions and records, but no face to face spot checks are required unless separation can be maintained). Completed checks may be documented as such based on observer’s conclusion that the maintenance was completed.}
• ^{Zone inspections (inspector will self-record, no requirement for a space presenter; no more than three personnel in the space, maintaining six-feet separation). Results can be generated and shared electronically.}
• ^{We will continue to train, but will not execute in-port fire drills, general quarters drills, force protection drills, at sea-fire party drills. Teams will hold dispersed training on individual skills such as shoring and hose handling, but not in large groups.}
• ^{Donning personal protective equipment that is common use and may transmit the virus are to be avoided.}

4. ^{When in port, establish a duty rotation based on operational requirements that supports social distancing. We will examine options for duty rotations based on tasking to allow for maximum separation while meeting the mission—some ships have shifted to six sections and a normal rotation, some to 3 days on/15 days off. If in a maintenance period, we will examine alternate rotations such as shiftwork or some variation of the USS Gettysburg “27 Section Duty” plan. This includes the following basic guidelines}

• ^{Split the workday into morning and afternoon shifts to reduce the number of personnel on the ship at the same time.}
• ^{Stagger duty section turnover to avoid large groups of personnel on the quarterdeck in the morning or in divisional spaces.}
• ^{Visitors must be authorized by the executive officer and may be subject to screening on the pier for signs of illness before being allowed on the ship for any reason.}

5. ^{We will evaluate all scheduled external inspections and visits and make recommendations to the ISIC on options to include: Execute as scheduled, execute with mitigations or limitations, reschedule, or cancel based on operational commitments. Department heads will provide recommendations, risk assessments and mitigation plans for each external event on the near-term schedule.}
6. ^{In addition to other mitigation measures, it is equally important to maintain strong immune system through proper exercise, nutrition, and sleep. Research has shown a direct correlation between reduced sleep and reduced immunity; when nightly sleep drops from seven hours to five, the chance of infection when exposed increases from 15 percent to 45 percent.}
7. ^{NOTHING IN THIS STANDING ORDER LIMITS THE CREW RESPONSE TO CASUALTIES OR THREATS SUCH AS FIRE, FLOODING, PHYSICAL OR CYBER THREATS, OR ANY OTHER EMERGENCIES—WE WILL DEAL WITH MITIGATION AFTER RESPONDING TO THE CASUALTY.}
8. ^{Set the example. We must take the long view to maintain mission readiness and viability while considering the risk to crew members, medical personnel, and family members who may be more vulnerable to transmitted infections, versus operational requirements. Personal responsibility is key—a poor decision at home can bring the enemy aboard this ship an endanger your shipmates and the mission. Report any exposure or proximity to anyone known to carry COVID-19 and self-report any symptoms—there will be no judgement, just support and action. Make tough decisions and communicate your needs and questions up the chain of command, share your decisions and, whenever possible, the rationale behind them with your crew and subordinates.}