COLUMBIA, Mo./QUINCY, Ill. — Due to the current situation regarding the COVID-19 virus and the need to monitor its day to day status, the Board of Directors of Great River Honor Flight have decided to postpone the first two 2020 missions scheduled for April 2nd out of Hannibal and May 7th out of Quincy.

In a statement released Wednesday, March 11th, "The amount of daily information and safety concerns regarding the unknown variables that are connected to this virus and its recent spread, tells us that we can better serve our veterans scheduled to go on an Honor Flight by rescheduling these mission dates until later this year."

The board stated that there is no higher priority than the safety of their precious cargo of veterans and guardians.  "When taking into consideration the safety and health of our older passengers, we feel that delaying the missions is the right call."

In the Great River Honor Flight Board of Directors statement, "Honor Flights are much more than visiting memorials.  The trips often include constant handshakes and hugs shared by appreciative Americans – this includes their arrival in Baltimore, at various stops throughout the day in DC and concluding with the homecoming celebration where family, friends, neighbors and even veterans from previous Honor Flights gather to express their thanks."

The board originally had plans for 6 missions in 2020 and will continue to monitor the situation regarding the latest updates on the Coronavirus as to what impact it will have on their overall schedule.  At this time, they are only rescheduling the April and May flights.

According to the board, "In the end, we want any future veterans that go on an Honor Flight to have the same great experience that 1,855 local colleagues have already had.  Safety has always been and remains our number one priority."