WASHINGTON - The Secretary of Defense is enacting travel restrictions on service members for 60 days in response to the COVID-19 coronavirus spread.
Effective Friday, Department of Defense service members, civilians, and families are prohibited from traveling to, from, or through locations that have been designated as Level 3 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. You can find the most updated list of Level 3 designated locations here. The Defense Department says they will follow any guidance and changes from the CDC.
The 60 day travel restriction goes into effect Friday, March 13.
"The Department of Defense's top priority remains the protection and welfare of our people. While directing this prudent action, I continue to delegate all necessary authority to commanders to make further decisions based on their assessments to protect their people and ensure mission readiness. While we deal with this fluid and evolving situation, I remain confident in our ability to protect our service members, civilians and families," Dr. Mark Esper, Secretary of Defense, said in a statement.
Travel to Level 2 location for families of service members and civilian personnel has also been restricted for the next 60 days.
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Any Department of Defense service member or civilian employee is also required to be screen and observe a 14-day self-monitoring at home for any travel to, from, or through Level 2 or 3 countries.
