U.S. clamps down on troop travel in the Middle East due to coronavirus
The U.S. is suspending certain types of travel for military and civilian Department of Defense personnel to and within the Middle East due to concerns over the coronavirus, according to an order issued Thursday.
All leave and liberty travel with the Central Command theater is banned until further notice, according to the memo obtained by POLITICO. For example, personnel assigned to a unit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, cannot travel to the United Arab Emirates or Jeddah for the weekend.
The military took the extra step of also banning all non-essential travel specifically within Saudi Arabia, which includes “going to the mall, movies, other crowded venues or recreational facilities/establishments,” according to the memo.
"U.S. Central Command is taking multiple prudent measures to prevent the transmission of COVID-19 Coronavirus and to mitigate the operational risk such transmission would pose," said Central Command spokesperson Capt. Bill Urban.
The ban does not extend to “essential travel,” which includes transit between controlled access compounds and authorized hotels, grocery stores and medical appointments. The ban also does not apply to leave outside the theater, according to the memo.
The U.S. military has been ramping up efforts to counter the coronavirus across the globe as fears rise that the outbreak is becoming a pandemic. In the Middle East, the main concern is Iran, which has recorded the highest number of deaths outside China.
The spread of the virus crossed a major threshold Tuesday when the first U.S. service member tested positive in South Korea. On Wednesday, the U.S. and South Korea canceled exercises between the two countries’ militaries.
On Thursday, reports emerged of the first coronavirus case in the United States that could not be linked to foreign travel, in California.
