Meeting Italian COVID-19 requirements, Army reopens dining facility

Signs mark social distancing spots on the floor as part of a renovation by culinary specialists assigned to 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade for the reopening of the Italian Mensa on Caserma Ederle in Vicenza, Italy, to comply with the Italian decree aimed at defeating COVID-19. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Ryan Lucas)

With the Caserma Ederle dining facility already under renovation, and soldiers mostly required to remain on post due to the movement limitations, soldiers needed food options. The 173rd Airborne Brigade took over to provide food for those soldiers, said Sgt. Shane Baldwin, a culinary specialist working at the facility.

Complying with Italian restrictions on social gatherings, the transformed Mensa offers no seating. "Everything that we cook is made to go," Baldwin said.

Entering the facility, patrons are required to either wash or sanitize their hands before walking to the food service line, where soldiers wearing personal protective equipment carefully procure each part of the meal. Beverages and condiments are also included in this package.

"We are currently keeping the two-meter distance rule," Baldwin said. When a line forms, stickers on the floor indicate how far apart people must remain.

Despite the restrictions, the dining facility is fully operational, even providing food deliveries to people in quarantine.

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