Thunderbirds stay grounded after members test positive for COVID-19

The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds grounded flying operations this week because of the coronavirus, after “a few of our team members recently tested positive,” Capt. Remoshay Nelson said in a statement Thursday.

Flying operations will resume next week.

The team was scheduled to perform an aerial demonstration at Wings Over Warren Air Show at FE Warren Air Base in Wyoming on July 22, but canceled.

“This was not an easy decision, but it was necessary to prevent the potential spread of the coronavirus,” Nelson said.

The members have received medical treatment and will remain in isolation according to federal protocols, and contact tracing is underway.

To minimize the risk of exposure to other team members and the public, flying operations for this week have been halted.

“At this time, our primary focus is ensuring the health and welfare of our personnel so we can safeguard our mission readiness and capabilities to perform world-class demonstrations in the near future,” Nelson said.

The Thunderbirds, the Air Force’s air demonstration squadron, performs precision aerial maneuvers demonstrating the capabilities of Air Force high performance aircraft to people throughout the world, according to the Air Force website.

The next scheduled air show is the Ocean City Air Show in Ocean City, Maryland, on Aug. 15-16.

There is no current plan to cancel other scheduled demonstrations or events.

Nellis Air Force Base is in Phase Two of its reopening plan, which it re-entered last week after Southern Nevada’s “sustained increase in the number of positive COVID-19 cases,” officials said.

Contact Briana Erickson at berickson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5244. Follow @ByBrianaE on Twitter.