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Pentagon relaxes travel restrictions caused by COVID-19

U.S. Army troops in Baumholden, Germany, wear masks and practice safe distancing protocols caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Photo by Sgt. First Class Jason Epperson/U.S. Army
U.S. Army troops in Baumholden, Germany, wear masks and practice safe distancing protocols caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Photo by Sgt. First Class Jason Epperson/U.S. Army

June 8 (UPI) -- Defense Department conditions allowing service members and their families to travel during the COVID-19 pandemic have been met by most states and five nations.

The relaxation on travel bans came in a statement on Monday from the Pentagon, which referred to a previous order.

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Stop-movement orders for travel to and from bases were placed in March, but a May 22 memorandum by Defense Secretary Mark Esper explained criteria for states and allied countries to become "green locations" to which service members and families can travel. They included removal of shelter-in-place restrictions and a 14-day decline in local flu and virus symptoms or new COVID-19 cases.

Esper's memo cited reliance on state and regional guidelines and installation-level criteria based on conditions "in and surrounding DoD installations, facilities,and locations."

Availability of child care, schools and similar family services are also taken into account. Travel for recruiting, command-requested deployments and medical treatment are exempted from the order.

Bahrain, Belgium, Britain, Japan and Germany have met the conditions, the Pentagon said Monday, as have 38 states and the District of Columbia.

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New York State, which has been hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, is on the list of states with lifted travel restrictions.

The list also includes Alabama, Alaska. Arizona. Arkansas,Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois,Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi,Missouri, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington, West Virginia and Wyoming.

No specific military installations were mentioned. Locations not on the list are still under the stop-movement order, including Virginia, the location of the Pentagon.

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