Date: 202003
Aircraft: No Aircraft
Reporter organization: Air Carrier
Reporter function: First Officer
Reporter qualification: Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Anomaly: Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Detector: Person Flight Crew
When detected: Other Simulator Training
Result: General None Reported / Taken
Contributing factors: Company Policy; Environment - Non Weather Related; Procedure
Primary problem: Company Policy

Narrative: First let me say that I'm proud and humbled to be a part of the [Company] flight training center family.  I take pride in being the best I can be every day.That being said; I am disappointed with how the COVID-19 crisis is being handled.  As citizens; we are being told to maintain a minimum of six feet from others as a 'social distancing' measure; to wash our hands frequently and to use hand sanitizer and bleach wipes.  I have [been] in the simulator for six of the past 11 days; and have seen exactly one bottle of hand sanitizer in the building (which was gone last night) and one three-quarters empty bottle of bleach solution next to a nearly-empty box of paper towels.  Each simulator (mostly) has a ZipLoc baggie with a few supposedly sanitizing wipes on the computer desk outside the sim.  Oh; and a handful on the inside of each restroom door reminding us to wash our hands and not come to work if we are sick.  That's it folks.  We are better than this. Meanwhile; we have pilots cycling through the building(s) who have traveled to all parts of the globe in the past days; weeks and months and who have a very high probability of potential exposure to COVID-19; who have not been tested or quarantined prior to entering the building.  In addition to this; these pilots are now quarantined together in a tightly-enclosed simulator for 4 hours at a time.  Last night I saw an instructor wearing latex gloves; because he is concerned.  We have a perfect breeding ground for transmitting and spreading this deadly virus; yet the attitude I've seen as an operator for the past two weeks has been fairly cavalier.  I could go on; but I think you've got the picture. I don't want to be an alarmist; or simply point out the problem without offering a potential solution.  I'd like to suggest that as an airline; we petition the FAA to allow us to have a 3 month extension on all training events (12 months vs 9).  This would allow us to close the [training center] for two weeks for a hospital-quality deep cleaning; and allow us to stock up on sanitizer and protective equipment before going back to work. As a nation we are being told to quarantine at home and to limit social exposure; yet we at the [training center] are apparently so 'essential' that we are exempt from this quarantine.  I'm blessed to be healthy at the moment; and I will continue to work as long as I am; but how long will it take for this virus to spread to me and my colleagues until we no longer have the staff to operate?




Synopsis: Air carrier First Officer reported the company training center and simulators could benefit from more sanitation and cleaning supplies for staff and trainees in order to support a safe training environment. The crew member suggested that the company pursue FAA approval to extend training events deadlines in order to have time to deep clean the training facility.