We are taking this national emergency seriously. The health and welfare of our men and women is our top priority. The command has contacted, and is closely monitoring, all personnel who supported the Brazilian delegation’s visit to the headquarters Sunday, March 8. We are following the Centers for Disease Control guidelines and remain vigilant.
To date, U.S. Southern Command has had no confirmed cases of COVID-19, and results for all personnel tested are negative, to include Adm. Craig Faller, Southcom commander. Out of respect for their privacy, we are not releasing the identities of the other individuals who were tested.
The entire Southcom workforce has been instructed to practice social distancing, self-monitor for symptoms, and self-isolate if symptoms develop. We have established a 24-hour medical hotline for the Southcom workforce and have conducted a deep cleaning of the headquarters. Our medical professionals continue working with the U.S. Department of Defense, other federal agencies and the Florida Department of Health for the latest updates on COVID-19 and ongoing mitigation response efforts. We are informing the Southcom team about those updates as we receive them.
Southcom has implemented DOD travel restrictions, is maximizing telework and is carefully reviewing upcoming events, activities and engagements to determine if events should be postponed or cancelled. This includes the recent curtailment of Exercise Vita in Colombia, where Joint Task Force-Bravo, worked with their Colombian military counterparts to conduct humanitarian operations and medical readiness training.
We will continue to monitor the situation closely to ensure the health and safety of our members while remaining mission ready.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
U.S. Southern Command’s COVID-19 information web page: