Pentagon issues new coronavirus travel restrictions

The Department of Defense has issued new coronavirus travel restrictions barring all domestic travel for service members, including a halt to all PCS (permanent change of station) and TDY (temporary duty) orders.

As a part of the Pentagon’s ongoing effort to curb the spread of the coronavirus known as Covid-19, the decision has been made to put all non-essential travel on hiatus until further notice. Any service members that are currently executing orders should contact their command for further guidance.

The announcement did identify that some exceptions will be made to these travel restrictions on a case by case basis.

For more information about how coronavirus travel restrictions are affecting basic training graduation, please refer to our coronavirus basic training changes post here. The post is updated regularly as basic training commands issue updates.

You can read the Defense Department’s statement in full below:

Today, the Deputy Secretary of Defense David L. Norquist approved new travel restrictionsfor service members, DoD civilians, and their families assigned to DoD installations, facilities and surrounding areas within the United States and its territories. This restriction will halt all domestic travel, including Permanent Change of Station, and Temporary Duty. This restriction will also pause civilian hiring at DoD installations and components for persons who do not reside within the hiring entity’s local commuting area.
Additionally, service members will be authorized local leave only, following Service guidelines. This new guidance is effective March 16 and continues through May 11.
Similar to other travel guidance regarding COVID-19, travel exceptions may be granted for compelling cases where the travel is mission-essential, for humanitarian reasons, or warranted due to extreme hardship. Approval authority for these exceptions belongs to the Combatant Commander, the Service Secretaries, the Chief Management Officer, or the Director of the Joint Staff, but may be delegated.
The Department will continue to issue additional guidance with regard to the COVID-19 as conditions warrant. Our goal is to remain ahead of the virus spread so our military force remains effective and ready.
For more information on the CDC travel restrictions, visit https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices/.
We encourage all DOD personnel to visit https://www.defense.gov/Explore/Spotlight/Coronavirus/for information on staying healthy during the outbreak. The Department will issue follow-on guidance on this directive prior to implementation.

It’s important to remember that service members and their families are not considered to be at high risk even if they do contract Covid-19. The Pentagon is issuing these restrictions as responsible preventative steps aimed at curbing the spread of the virus throughout the American population, and as a part of broader readiness efforts.

The Pentagon advises that everyone follow guidance released by the Center for Disease Control aimed at curbing the spread of germs like the Covid-19 virus.