The surge in cases of COVID-19 across the southern tier of the United States is also having a major impact on U.S. military bases across the same region. According to a report in the Associated Press posted yesterday, 21 military bases across America have raised their health protection alert postures due to the surge. The moves to higher alert levels at the defense installations are somewhat limited because the military as a whole has been much slower to loosen pandemic restrictions than cities and states around the country, particularly sections of the South and West facing record infection levels. AP reports.
According to data obtained by AP, more than 45% of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps installations around the globe are currently at what is called “health condition Charlie,” which involves “substantial risk” of “sustained community transmission” of the virus. A significant number of those bases are spread across the South and West and have stayed at or gone back to level C. That’s one step below the most restrictive level, on a scale that goes from Zero to Level D — Severe. Under level C, base access and travel is significantly restricted, in-person gatherings such as school and other activities are likely cancelled, and more people must work from home.
