Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel ordered Wednesday a 21 day quarantine for U.S. military personnel returning from Ebola Stricken countries of West Africa.
Earlier this week, the U.S.Army chief of staff, General Ray Odierno, had ordered a 21-day quarantine for Major General Darryl Williams, commander of U.S. Army in West Africa, and several of his staff when they returned to their home base in Vicenza in northeastern Italy. With the new order, all U.S. military personnel returning from West Africa would have to undergo the quarantine.
"This is also a policy that was discussed in great detail by the communities, by the families of our military men and women, and they very much wanted a safety valve on this," Hagel said, while announcing the new policy in Washington, reports the Associated Press.
Hagel's order follows a memo sent to him by chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff , General Martin Dempsey, on the need for military chiefs to take more precautions in the wake of additional Ebola cases being reported in the U.S.
Pentagon press secretary Rear Admiral John Kirby said that Hagel had directed the Joint Chiefs of Staff to work out a detailed plan in 15 days on how the policy will be put into action, reports Reuters.
Also, it was not clear whether the new policy applied to civilian Defense Department personnel returning from the West African countries, , Colonel Steve Warren, a Pentagon spokesman, said.
Moreover, It is yet to be determined whether military personnel who are in the region for a short period will come in the ambit of the new policy. Such a move will affect the military adversely, as there will be shortage of pilots if they have to undergo 21 days quarantine each time they come back after delivering supplies.
