Soldiers return early from Southeast Asian exercises over

OVID-19 concerns, with more adjustments expected

Kyle Rempfer

10 hours ago

"Soldiers conduct a platoon-level live-fire exercise on March 2, 2020 in preparation for exercise Cobra Gold in Bahn Dan Lan Hoi, Thailand. (1st Lt. Angelo Mejia/Army)

Soldiers in Thailand as part of the Army’s Pacific Pathways program are returning home this week to get ahead of the growing coronavirus pandemic in the region.

The roughly 1,350 soldiers from the 25th Infantry Division were originally scheduled to return to Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, in May. The next Pacific Pathways iteration planned to train in the Philippines this spring has also been delayed due to the pandemic.

Those returning this week will undergo screening prior to leaving Thailand on a series of charter flights and will be screened again when they arrive at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, but there have yet to be any positive COVID-19 cases among the soldiers, said U.S. Army Pacific spokesman Col. Derrick W. Cheng.

“Leadership adjusted the timeline of the exercise based on an assessment that the unit had achieved its initial training objectives and with obvious consideration to the evolving environment that COVID-19 presented, not just for Thailand, but throughout Indo-Pacific region," Cheng said in a statement to Army Times. "Even with the adjusted timeline, this year’s Hanuman Guardian is the longest iteration of the exercise ever conducted.”

Medical personnel are screening returning troops through social distancing, temperature checks and questionnaires, though none are exhibiting symptoms at this point. When the soldiers return, they’ll still have to enter 14-day quarantines. Those will largely mirror quarantines conducted at other Army posts for soldiers returning from overseas exercises and deployments."

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https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2020/04/15/soldiers-return-early-from-southeast-asian-exercises-over-covid-19-concerns-with-more-adjustments-expected/

Ivanka Trump, Disregarding Federal Guidelines, Travels to

N.J. for Passover

Annie Karni 1 hr ago

"WASHINGTON — Ivanka Trump, President Trump’s eldest daughter and a senior White House adviser, has positioned herself as one of the leaders of the administration’s economic relief efforts and one of its most vocal advocates of social distancing.

a close up of Ivanka Trump wearing a red shirt: Ivanka Trump, President Trump’s eldest daughter and a White House adviser, and her family spent Passover at her father’s private golf club.© Doug Mills/The New York Times Ivanka Trump, President Trump’s eldest daughter and a White House adviser, and her family spent Passover at her father’s private golf club.

“Those lucky enough to be in a position to stay at home, please, please do so,” Ms. Trump said in a video she posted online, encouraging Americans to follow federal guidelines about social distancing, which suggests that people stay at least six feet apart. “Each and every one of us plays a role in slowing the spread.”

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But Ms. Trump herself has not followed the federal guidelines advising against discretionary travel, leaving Washington for another one of her family’s homes, even as she has publicly thanked people for self-quarantining. And effective April 1, the city of Washington issued a stay-at-home order for all residents unless they are performing essential activities.

Ms. Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, who is also a senior White House adviser, traveled with their three children to the Trump National Golf Club Bedminster in New Jersey to celebrate the first night of Passover this month, according to two people with knowledge of their travel plans, even as seders across the country were canceled and families gathered remotely over apps like Zoom.

A White House spokesman did not respond to a request for comment.

Mr. Kushner returned to the White House, where he has been helping marshal the forces of government for the war his father-in-law says he is waging against the coronavirus. Ms. Trump has continued to work from Bedminster, taking calls and spending time there with her children, the people said."

moar:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/ivanka-trump-disregarding-federal-guidelines-travels-to-nj-for-passover/ar-BB12H5xh