The Pentagon has identified almost a dozen additional military installations around the country that could be used to temporarily house travelers quarantined because of the coronavirus.
The bases, both active duty and reserve, are all located near major airports. They include Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Honolulu, the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base in Fort Worth, Fort Hamilton in New York and Joint Base Anacostia in D.C. Other military installations on the proposed list are located near Los Angeles, San Francisco, Atlanta, Detroit, Seattle and Newark, New Jersey.
The Department of Defense’s support consists solely of providing housing for up to 20 people at each location as they undergo a period of observed quarantine. Military personnel will not be in direct contact with them and will minimize any contact with staffers at the scene from the Department of Health and Human Services, Pentagon officials said.
“HHS will be responsible for all care, transportation and security of the evacuees,” military officials said in a statement.
Anyone who becomes infected by or ill from the virus will be taken to a medical facility for treatment.
Chief Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said this week that 198 people are currently being housed for observation at the March Air Reserve Base near San Bernardino, California.
• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.
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