Nellis Air Force Base has not yet met the required conditions to transition to Phase IV of its reopening plan and remains in Phase III, which it entered on June 1.

The base remains under a public health emergency, and will only move into each new phase after specific criteria — including no significant change in positive COVID-19 cases, robust testing capability, hospital surge capacity, and extensive tracing measures, among other stipulations — have been met and sustained for at least 2-3 weeks.

The base hospital remains open to all eligible beneficiaries. Access to the main base, where the satellite pharmacy is housed, remains restricted to base personnel and dependents of uniformed members. Retirees continue to have access to their prescriptions by mail or retail pharmacy options. TRICARE shields retirees from out-of-pocket costs that exceed $3,000 per family, per year with a catastrophic cap. All enrollment fees, deductibles, co-payments and cost-shares paid out-of-pocket count toward this family catastrophic cap.

Nellis’ leadership, including its medical professionals, continues to monitor and assess the situation. Indications of an increase in COVID-19 on the installation or in our surrounding communities will trigger an immediate assessment and possible reversion to a previous phase.

“This phased approach is aimed at preserving the health and safety of all base beneficiaries while ensuring the continuation of critical missions,” said a Nellis’ press release. “We look forward to welcoming back our entire base populace as we reopen in a measured and responsible manner.”

For Nellis-specific COVID-19 information, including the phased reopening plane, please visit: https://www.nellis.af.mil/COVID-19/.