The top U.S. general in Europe said on Feb. 25 that some military bases in Italy could be closed beyond March 1 as outbreaks of the coronavirus continue to spread throughout Europe.
Air Force Gen. Tod D. Wolters, who leads U.S. European Command, told the Senate Armed Services Committee in Washington that a “fair amount” of the military’s 35,000 soldiers in Italy are “just sitting at home right now trying to avoid the coronavirus.”
His comments come as Italy is experiencing the largest outbreak of coronavirus outside of Asia, with a reported 300 cases and 11 deaths.
In the city of Vicenza, Italy, where the United States has 6,000 to 7,000 troops plus thousands of their family members, the Army has closed on-base schools, child care centers, gyms, and churches after a spike in coronavirus cases across the northeastern region.
Military personnel have been told not to travel to areas where clusters of confirmed cases have emerged, including in the Lombardy region, where the outbreak has been most prevalent thus far, and in Vo’ Euganeo. So far, no coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Vicenza.
The closures are currently scheduled to end at the start of March, but Wolters said Tuesday that there was a “50-50” possibility that the closures in Vicenza would be extended beyond the original date.
Wolters said that the military is also anticipating an increase in the number of reported cases in Germany, which has so far confirmed 16 cases of the virus, and is preparing a response should the virus gain traction.
The general said that officials “anticipate the need may arise” for travel restrictions in the country, which is home to the largest U.S. military presence in Europe at more than 33,000 troops, “but that is still to be determined.”
“We are anticipating an increase in the number of cases reported in Germany, and we’re prepared to execute,” he said.
The general’s comments come after Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said on Monday that joint exercises in South Korea, where nearly 600 people have tested positive for the illness, may also need to be “curtailed.”
David Adams
Article URL : https://www.theepochtimes.com/us-air-force-warns-coronavirus-may-cause-more-closures-at-military-bases-in-europe_3251138.html