Honor Flight Rochester (“HFR”) has postponed its June 20-21 Mission due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This is aligned with the recent announcement by the national Honor Flight Network which extended the mandatory flight suspension until June 30. This is based on federal and state directives. Currently Maryland’s stay home order is “indefinite” in duration and Virginia’s stay home order runs through at least June 10. Arlington National Cemetery remains closed to the public and there is no date certain when ANC will reopen and resume public viewing of the changing of the guard.
We continue to monitor the federal and DC area orders. If further suspensions reaching into the fall flying season are necessary, the circumstances at that time will prevail and be closely reviewed.
Additionally the current suspension of all Honor Flight related Events will run at least through May 31. Eventual resumption of HFR local Events must abide by ALL applicable local, state and federal mandates in place at that time. This includes but is not limited to group size, event location and any other specifications. All Events must fall within the legal criteria of the mandates.
As always the safety and health of our veterans and volunteers is paramount. HFR Missions are meant to be the trip of a lifetime for our area’s beloved Veterans. Our Veterans tend to be in a high-risk category, due to age and medical conditions, that put them at greater risk for contracting viruses, such as, Coronavirus (“COVID-19”). The apex for COVID-19 in Washington. DC is forecasted for this summer. Our Veterans will be better served by delaying our future missions until this pandemic has fully subsided. Those Veterans who were planning to fly with us on postponed missions, remain at the “top of the list” and will be flown as soon as HFR is able to take them on the trip of their lifetime.
Looking forward, HFR will wait until the risk from COVID-19 is in the past and it is entirely safe to travel. We want to avoid the potential exposure of our Veterans and Volunteers. This is the prudent path to follow.
Questions will arise and may be directed to HFR President Rich Stewart. The Media may submit any questions to HFR by submitting an email to: [email protected].
