COVID-19 testing and quarantine guidance

USAG Stuttgart Public Affairs

A U.S. Army medic conducts a COVID-19 test on a patient. Photo by Rick Scavetta, USAG Stuttgart.

Stuttgart Army Medical Clinic (Patch) COVID-19 screening and clinical services

Click to view current COVID-19 Guidelines for the Stuttgart Military Community, Effective May 27, 2021

Google Chrome users may need to clear their cache or use another browser to view the link if a previous version of the guidelines appear.

Note for Tricare beneficiaries: Off-post testing is only reimbursable if required by an off-post provider as part of an evaluation and treatment plan

Guidelines effective May 27, 2021:

The current COVID-19 Guidelines for the Stuttgart Military Community address (click to view in full):

• What to do when feeling ill
• COVID-19 Cases and Close Contacts
• International Travel
• PCS Guidance
• COVID-19 Vaccination
• Mask wear
• Garrison and Mission Partner Communication

Key changes to this document from the previous versions include guidance for fully vaccinated individuals (paragraph 8), including updated mask wear requirements, and references to restriction of movement (ROM) for travelers and close contacts of a positive COVID case with exceptions for fully vaccinated individuals.

Fully vaccinated individuals: mask wear, restriction of movement, quarantine

Individuals are ONLY considered fully vaccinated after 14 days have passed following receipt of the second dose of either Moderna or BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine, or the only dose of the Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) vaccine.

Fully vaccinated personnel are no longer required to wear face masks indoors or outdoors on USAG Stuttgart installations, except in the following areas:

• Medical facilities, to include the COVID-19 test area and COVID-19 vaccination sites
• Child and Youth Services facilities
• All DoDEA facilities and activities
• On-post services where providers are subject to German law which requires patrons to wear masks (e.g., barber shops, hair and nail salons, kantines, etc.)

Personnel must continue to adhere to all host nation mask directives off post, and should continue to observe COVID-19 preventive measures such as hand washing and physical distancing in public places. Those who are NOT fully vaccinated will continue to follow mask guidance as published by the CDC, DoD, and USAG Stuttgart.

Fully vaccinated individuals are not subject to Restriction of Movement following travel. Additionally, if they are identified as close contacts of a positive case, they may return to work after a negative PCR test and the approval of their supervisor. 

Fully vaccinated individuals who display any COVID symptoms should seek testing as soon as possible and stay in quarantine until negative result and symptoms resolve for 48 hours.

Fully vaccinated individuals should carry a copy of their vaccination record when traveling, which must contain the date of administered vaccination(s), the label and batch name of the administered vaccination(s), and the name of the disease for which the vaccination was administered. The CDC’s COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card satisfies this documentation requirement.

PCS: Non-vaccinated individuals who arrive in Stuttgart for a permanent change of station (PCS) from any location outside of Germany must quarantine for 8 days, with a test on day 6 or later and release based on a negative test (no earlier than day 7).

Guidance for activities, private organizations, service providers, residents, and units that operate or reside on U.S. Army Garrison Stuttgart, taking place on post (does NOT apply to activities off post)

Do’s and Don’ts for ALL quarantined personnel

• Do’s:
  • Always wear a mask where required
  • Always physically distance
  • Always wash your hands
• Don’ts:
  • Visit places of social interaction or recreation such as movie theaters, bars, nightclubs, dance halls, pools, spas, massage parlors, hookah lounges, etc.
  • Playgrounds, on or off post
  • Gyms or physical fitness facilities, on or off post
  • Sit down to eat at a restaurant (in “working” quarantine, retrieving a to-go order and returning to your quarantine location is permissible when observing all normal precautions)

What to do when feeling ill:

Members of the USAG Stuttgart Community must self-monitor for symptoms of COVID-19 every day. If symptoms are noted, they should stay at home, avoid group activities (work, school, sports), and seek medical evaluation through the Army Health Clinic-Stuttgart. If symptoms develop at work, they should contact their supervisor, leave the work space, and seek medical evaluation. In the school setting, parents will be contacted and students who develop symptoms will be isolated from others in a supervised setting with climate control while awaiting pickup. Click here for additional information on clinic testing hours and procedures.

Those who have been tested for COVID-19 due to symptoms are considered Persons Under Investigation (PUI) and will remain in isolation until their COVID-19 status is determined. PUIs who test negative for COVID-19 are expected to socially distance from others. If the COVID-19 test is negative and the person has been symptom free for 48 hours, they can return to work or school as long as they have self-isolated for at least 72 hours.

For example, someone who had a sore throat on Monday and tests negative for COVID 19, then has no sore throat on Tuesday or Wednesday, can return to work on Thursday having self-isolated since Monday. If symptoms worsen, medical personnel may recommend continued social distancing and/or repeat testing.

Essential Item Shopping for Quarantined Personnel

• Programs are available at both the Exchange and Commissaries to accommodate the needs of quarantined personnel accessing bare essential items.
• Orders placed through the “Buy Online, Pick Up In Store” option at shopmyexchange.com may be picked up curbside by those under “working” quarantine orders. Families under full quarantine should ask their sponsor or contact ACS to request that a volunteer pick up the items and deliver them to the hotel room/quarters. If an authorized agent (sponsor or volunteer) will be picking up your items, be sure to let the Exchange Associate know.
• The Commissary Concierge program is also available for grocery needs. Contact the ACS volunteer program for guidance.

Communication

• DODEA schools in Stuttgart will notify parents each time a COVID-19 case occurs in the school or during bus transport. This is to allow for informed decisions regarding in-person education. Personal health information is protected by law and will not be disseminated.
• Individuals are expected to notify their immediate supervisor that they have been placed in isolation. Units may receive notification through the USAG Stuttgart channels. Return to work is in accordance with local policy and coordinated through the chain of command.

Health protection guidance for sponsors and family members of quarantined or isolating personnel

• Sponsors should follow these recommendations:
  • Ensure that all newly arrived individuals use face coverings at all times while in the presence of other people 
  • The sponsor should also use a face covering when in the presence of the incoming individuals
  • The sponsor should maintain physical distance (6 feet/2 meters) from the member/family to the extent possible
  • Avoid shaking hands or any other close physical contact
  • The sponsor and incoming individuals should use deliberate hand hygiene (wash hands frequently and use hand sanitizer)
  • Consider helping arriving individuals and families hire transport from the airport (reimbursable PCS expense) to lodging with the sponsor following separately, in order to reduce time spent in close contact 
  • Use disinfecting wipes to clean vehicles surfaces & other frequently touched surfaces
  • If sponsors must drive in-bounds to the clinic for COVID-19 testing, all should wear face coverings to the extent possible & in-bound individuals should sit in back seats if possible 
  • Sponsors providing food and other essentials to incoming personnel should minimize contact when delivering these items, such as leaving items outside the door of hotel rooms
  • Sponsors are not required to quarantine following contact with incoming personnel, UNLESS the in-bounds test positive for COVID-19; follow medical provider or public health guidance
  • Sponsors should, as always, self-monitor for any symptoms consistent with COVID-19 (fever, cough, shortness of breath, chills/shaking, sore throat, muscle aches, loss of smell or taste, headaches)
  • if a newcomer tests positive and the unit sponsor has come into contact, the sponsor will be part of the tracing effort, will be tested and will put into isolation, and then into quarantine.
  • In a household where a member returns from CONUS (or any RED country), whether from leave or TDY, the cohabitating family members do not need to quarantine. The returning member should isolate as much as possible within the domicile.

If you have questions about the terms of screening or quarantine, the clinic may be contacted directly at usarmy.stuttgart.id-europe.list.covid-screening@mail.mil.

Clinic Hours: The Stuttgart Army Health Clinic’s Acute Respiratory Drive-Thru is open from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, except federal holidays.