President Trump declared a national emergency over the coronavirus pandemic on Friday, freeing up as much as $50 billion for emergency relief.
The Department of Defense is starting to close DoDEA schools within the United States, starting with schools at Fort Knox, Kentucky on Monday. The Pentagon has already closed international schools South Korea, Turkey, Germany, Belgium, Spain, the Netherlands, Italy and Bahrain, Military Times reports.
Following the lead of many U.S. higher education institutions, the Naval Postgraduate School has cancelled its graduation and the U.S. Air Force Academy has dismissed its cadets for “social distancing” precautions.
In addition to Puerto Rico last week, the National Guard has been activated in six states in order to contain the spread of coronavirus. The states are: Florida, Iowa, Louisiana, New York, Rhode Island and Washington.
There are “no availability of testing for COVID-19” for U.S. troops based in Afghanistan, military officials told the House Armed Services committee, CQ reports.
The U.S. Army has set-up a COVID-19 hotline for service members and military families, the Pentagon has issued a FAQ page regarding current travel restrictions.
Photo by Col. Steve Rowe // U.S. Army National Guard