US military initiating pandemic plans

[Treyfish]

US military prepping for coronavirus pandemic

Patricia Kime
17 minutes ago

U.S. Northern Command is executing plans to prepare for a potential pandemic of the novel coronavirus, now called COVID19, according to Navy and Marine Corps service-wide messages issued this week.

An executive order issued by the Joint Staff and approved by Defense Secretary Mark Esper this month directed Northern Command and geographic combatant commanders to initiate pandemic plans, which include ordering commanders to prepare for widespread outbreaks and confining service members with a history of travel to China.

The Navy and Marine Corps messages, issued Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively, reference an executive order directing U.S. Northern Command to implement the Department of Defense Global Campaign plan for Pandemic Influenza and Infectious Diseases 3551-13.

The document serves as the Pentagon’s blueprint for plan...
....DoD 3551-13 calls for preparing for a pandemic and ensuring open lines of communication in the community, diseases surveillance and detection, response and containment.

According to the service messages, military commanders have been asked to confine any service member who has been to China since Feb. 2 to their residences or, if they live in an open barracks or share a bathroom with others, restrict them to a temporary lodging facility for 14 days.

The restricted service members will be assessed daily for fever by medical personnel by phone or in person and wear protective gear if they personally conduct the medical checks, according to the messages. Should they display symptoms, they must seek medical attention, but call their military treatment facility first to inform them of their travel.

The Marine Corps message advises.....



https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2020/02/13/us-military-prepping-for-coronavirus-pandemic/

[Treyfish]

U.S. MARINE CORPS DISEASE CONTAINMENT PREPAREDNESS PLANNING GUIDANCE FOR 2019 NOVEL CORONAVIRUS
Date Signed: 2/12/2020 | MARADMINS Number: 082/20

....REF G IS DOD INSTRUCTION 6055.17 DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PROGRAM, WHICH OUTLINES REQUIREMENTS TO MANAGE PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCIES IAW THE PROVISIONS OF THE INSTRUCTION. REF H IS OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE GUIDANCE WHICH CONTAINS OVERARCHING INFORMATION ON THE NOVEL CORONAVIRUS. REF I IS GLOBAL CAMPAIGN PLAN 3551, WHICH DIRECTS USNORTHCOM TO EXECUTE ITS PANDEMIC PLAN AND SUPPORTING GEOGRAPHIC COMBATANT COMMANDS TO EXECUTE THEIR PANDEMIC PLANS IN RESPONSE TO THE NCOV OUTBREAK. REF J IS MCO 3440.8A, INSTALLATION CHEMICAL, BIOLOGICAL, RADIOLOGICAL, NUCLEAR AND HIGH YIELD EXPLOSIVE (CBRNE) PREPAREDNESS, WHICH PROVIDES ADDITIONAL GUIDANCE ON THE PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT OF BIOLOGICAL THREATS. REF K IS HQMC RESPONSE TO NOVEL CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK EXORD WHICH PROVIDES AMPLIFYING COORDINATION INFORMATION. REF L IS MCO 3504.2A, OPERATIONS EVENT INCIDENT REPORT (OPREP-3) REPORTING. POC/CHRISTOPHER BURCH/CIV/UNIT: PP&O PS PSP IP/TEL: (703) 692-4491/NIPR E-MAIL: CHRISTOPHER.BURCH1@USMC.MIL//
GENTEXT/REMARKS/1. Situation.
1.A. General.
1.A.1. Commanders will take specific actions to review and validate Disease Containment Plans to prepare for and respond to a potential occurrence of the 2019 Novel (New) Coronavirus (2019-nCoV).
1.A.2. The current threat of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus has raised concern that this virus could result in a pandemic disease. In such a scenario, nCoV could spread, infecting U.S. personnel, and threaten the operational readiness of the U.S. Marine Corps.
1.A.3. The Marine Corps’ response to a pandemic outbreak focuses on five major areas: 1) Force Health Protection (FHP); 2) Disease Containment Planning (DCP) and Readiness; 3) Continuity of Operations (COOP); 4) Defense Support of Civilian Authorities (DSCA); and 5) Support to U.S. Government response efforts.
1.B. Background.
1.B.1. An outbreak of a new (novel) coronavirus is rapidly evolving, but currently poses a LOW RISK to personnel located in CONUS. The 2019-nCoV is a viral respiratory disease related to Middle-East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). Symptoms of 2019-nCoV may include fever, cough, and shortness of breath.
1.B.2. Chinese health authorities identified 2019-nCoV as the cause of the pneumonia outbreak in Wuhan, China. There are confirmed cases in over 20 countries, including the United States, with validated cases in Arizona, California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Washington State, and Wisconsin, with one reported death of an American citizen in China.
1.B.3. The U.S. State Department issued a LEVEL 4 DO NOT TRAVEL advisory to China on 30 January 2020. The World Health Organization (WHO) has categorized risk as VERY HIGH for China, and HIGH globally, and declared that nCoV constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).
1.B.4. Although the United States Government, in conjunction with private industry, is conducting research to identify protocols that may treat the 2019-nCoV disease, there are no U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved treatments at this time. Standard treatment for 2019-nCoV includes prompt implementation of recommended infection prevention and control measures and supportive management of complications. Per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a person under investigation for 2019-nCoV infection should be isolated, and healthcare professionals, and local or state health departments, should be notified immediately.
1.B.5. Presently, the U.S. Marine Corps is planning, conducting routine surveillance, and commencing engagement activities, to assure and solidify collaborative relationships, and inform all personnel, to be prepared for disease containment operat...https://www.marines.mil/News/Message...-for-2019-nov/

[hawkeye]

The above, for the Navy, has been expanded to also include those returning from Hong Kong.
https://www.public.navy.mil/bupers-n...0/NAV20039.txt

2. IAW REF (B), EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY, ALL NAVY COMMANDS SHALL IDENTIFY ALL SERVICEMEMBERS RETURNING FROM MAINLAND CHINA AFTER 02 FEB 2020. HONG KONG AND MACAU ARE INCLUDED AS PART OF MAINLAND CHINA FOR THE PURPOSE OF THIS FORCE HEALTH PROTECTION GUIDANCE. COMMANDS MAY DETERMINE OTHER SERVICEMEMERS ARE AT SIMILAR RISK FOR EXPOSURE, SUCH AS THOSE WITH A FAMILY MEMBER WITH WHOM THEY RESIDE OR HAVE CLOSE CONTACT WHO TRAVELED TO MAINLAND CHINA. COMMANDS WILL PLACE THESE SERVICEMEMBERS UNDER A 14 DAY RESTRICTION OF MOVEMEMT (ROM). DURING THE 14 DAY ROM: 2.A. SERVICEMEMBERS WILL BE RESTRICTED TO THEIR RESIDENCE FOR A 14 DAY ROM PERIOD, STARTING FROM THE DAY OF DEPARTURE FROM MAINLAND CHINA.

[etudiant]

The Defense Department Directive 6200.03 details the very expansive scope of the military role in a public health emergency. See:

https://www.hsdl.org/?view&did=28444

It appears that the US government is at least cognizant of the pandemic risk posed by this virus.