Men and women who have been infected by the new coronavirus may be barred from joining the U.S. military, according to a Pentagon official. 

A defense official detailed the interim guidance on Wednesday. The new recommendation allows the military to examine an applicant's history with the disease during the initial screening process. Anyone who has been hospitalized due to the pandemic is immediately disqualified. Those who still wish to serve would need a service waiver to be considered. 

The guidance would remain until more is known about the intensity of the damage that the virus does to a patient's lungs. 


Screening Process

Officials will first take the applicant's temperature and ask questions about symptoms and potential contact. Should an applicant fail the screening, they will not be tested. They are, however, allowed to return after two weeks if they are symptom-free. 

Applicants who were diagnosed positive with COVID-19 will be asked to wait for 28 days to report to one of the 65 Military Entrance Processing Stations across the nation. Upon return, applicants will be marked as "permanently disqualifying." 

Recruits can apply for waivers to allow them to continue serving the military. Still, without any guidance for exception dealing with COVID-19, a review authority cannot grant a waiver. 

There is still minimal research on the global pandemic—its effects, the likelihood of flare-ups, and possible immunity. The military medical professionals are likely trying to focus on these factors when assessing survivors who wish to apply for service. 


Final Decision

According to Army General Mark Milley, Pentagon is still weighing its options on recruiting applicants with COVID-19 history. He revealed that the latest version of the internal memo—which suggests that only hospitalized applicants be disqualified—is still a draft and is expected to undergo revisions. 

He also said that the chief and the secretary of defense have yet to review the proposed guidance. Doctors will thoroughly review the medical standards of recruits and how the virus affects the volunteers while consulting for the final version of the recommendation. 

"The memo got out there by accident," Milley said. "It has not been approved." The finalized version is expected to come out in the coming weeks. 

The U.S. military excludes recruits with active human immunodeficiency virus cases and eye conditions caused by the herpes virus. Applicants with a history of respiratory illnesses such as asthma, pneumonia, and pulmonary diseases are also medically disqualified from serving in the military.


Coronavirus Clusters

The move comes following discoveries of coronavirus clusters at the Army and Marine Corps entry training sites in Fort Jackson, South Carolina, and Marine Corps Recruit in San Diego. 

In Fort Jackson, the Army uncovered a cluster of 50 COVID-19 cases from one training battalion. According to Army Chief of Staff General James McConville, most of the infected trainees showed no symptoms of the virus. 

The South Carolina training site has four testing devices and runs over 750 tests each day. 

In San Diego, California, a Marine official reported near four dozen recruits to be positive for the pandemic. As with the cases in Fort Jackson, the infected trainees were mostly asymptomatic and they are currently in isolation.


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