In a Wednesday release, the Department of Defense (DoD) explained that the “Marine is in isolation at his home and will undergo further assessment by health professionals. His last day in the Pentagon was March 13.”
The release also notes that the Marine followed both US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines and DoD directives and isolated himself when an immediate family member started showing symptoms of the novel coronavirus.
“His workspace has been cleaned by a Pentagon response team, and a thorough contact investigation is underway to mitigate risk and preserve the health of the workforce at the Pentagon,” the statement adds.
The Pentagon on Wednesday also raised the military's health protection level on all DoD installations globally to the second-highest setting, known as “Charlie,” as the number of COVID-19-positive service members continues to increase.
Under the Charlie designation, large-scale meetings at some DoD installations will be canceled, people's temperatures will need to be taken before they are allowed into military buildings, and some entrances to buildings will be restricted, Pentagon spokesperson Alyssa Farah told reporters Wednesday.
According to Military.com, there are at least 227 coronavirus cases among US forces and a total of 435 cases within the DoD. On Sunday, the first COVID-19 death within the DoD was announced. The patient was a department contractor based in Crystal City, Virginia.
