'It just impacts us all': Military families try to cope with coronavirus travel restrictions

FORT BRAGG, N.C. – Hundreds of thousands of service members and their families will be stuck close to home for nearly two months starting Monday during what is normally the busiest time of year for planning moves to new duty assignments.

The Pentagon’s domestic travel ban, issued late last week to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, has military families scrambling to figure out what this means for them. Families usually plan for moves months in advance, signing leases or house-hunting in the spring before moving in the summer. Those who aren’t moving must still remain close to their installations.

An Army spouse at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, the largest installation in the country with more than 50,000 soldiers and special operators, said the restrictions will create challenges for families who live on post. Another spouse has put off a planned trip to the beach with her children. And real estate agents in military communities already are seeing problems with pending contracts.

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The Department of Defense orders prohibit service members and their families from traveling until May 11. The restrictions also apply to hundreds of thousands of civilians who work for the Defense Department, including many based at installations across the U.S.

At least 10 service members have tested positive for COVID-19. One civilian worker and two contractors have contracted the virus, as have eight family members, according to the Defense Department.

The travel ban halts what are called permanent change-of-station moves, which is when a service member is assigned to a new installation, typically about every three years. Temporary duty assignments also are paused.

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Troops will be able to travel only locally during their leaves.

Lt. Gen. Michael E. Kurilla, commander of 18th Airborne Corps and Fort Bragg, offered some guidance on the post’s Facebook page Sunday. Those who have already left for a new duty station should keep going, while those who haven’t left should report to their command.

“If you have shipped household goods, but have not departed, contact your chain of command for assistance,” he said.

Soldiers and civilian workers must stay within 50 miles of the post or their homes, he said.

While the coronavirus outbreak has disrupted life around the country, military families are in unique situations, often far from relatives. Troops now returning from deployments go into quarantine instead of celebrating at reunion ceremonies. Soldiers who often are on standby for national emergencies wonder whether they’ll be called on to help during the public health crisis.

Families that are used to worrying about the dangers of war now grow anxious about exposure to a still mysterious disease, in communities where people are constantly coming and going.

They may try signing back into their units to figure out a solution. The source also said soldiers with new assignments to Germany, or another U.S. state, could be affected and may not have a place to stay.

‘It just impacts us all’

An Army spouse at Fort Bragg said the travel restrictions will cause problems for families on post.

The spouse, who did not want to be identified when talking about military orders, has been at Fort Bragg for about a year. She said she and her family are not scheduled to leave the area but she knows some families who are frustrated by the restrictions.

“It just impacts us all,” she said. “You have a lot to do to be sure your family is ready to travel and move,” she said.

The spouse said some military couples might have to cancel anniversary trips and other celebrations because of the restrictions. But, she said, Army spouses want to support the soldiers.

“That’s all part of the service,” she said.

Realtor Jimmy Townsend said agents at his firm are trying to help families figure out their next steps. He knows of at least one client who already has changed his closing date.

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“We’re going to have to renegotiate some contracts,” he said. “It will have an effect. We just don’t know yet how much.”

Lt. Col. Mike Burns, an 82nd Airborne Division spokesman, said division officials are aware of the guidelines’ consequences.

“We’re doing everything we can to help any soldier affected by this new change in policy,” he said.

Exceptions to the travel restrictions may be granted in compelling cases in which travel is mission-essential, for humanitarian reasons or warranted because of extreme hardship.

Department of Defense schools have shut down in Kentucky and West Point, New York, and will close this week for children at Fort Benning, Georgia, and Fort Bragg. Military hospitals are restricting visitors, and large annual events such as the All American Marathon at Fort Bragg have been canceled.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Coronavirus: Military families try to cope with travel restrictions