{"id":37158,"date":"2020-03-13T20:46:44","date_gmt":"2020-03-13T20:46:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2020\/03\/13\/navy-reserve-postpones-drill-this-weekend-amid-coronavirus-crisis\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T19:48:08","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T19:48:08","slug":"navy-reserve-postpones-drill-this-weekend-amid-coronavirus-crisis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2020\/03\/13\/navy-reserve-postpones-drill-this-weekend-amid-coronavirus-crisis\/","title":{"rendered":"Navy Reserve postpones drill this weekend amid coronavirus crisis"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

To help prevent the spread of the coronovirus, Chief of Navy Reserve Vice Adm. Luke McCollum<\/a> ordered the postponement of the upcoming drill weekend for nearly all Selected Reservists, a move that will affect thousands of officers and sailors nationwide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They will be allowed to reschedule their drill weekend for a later date, with commands offering what Navy Reserve Force spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Ben Tisdale called \u201cmaximum flexibility\u201d to their personnel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not canceled. We\u2019re just postponing it for this weekend,\u201d Tisdale told Navy Times. \u201cIn light of events, leadership wanted the decision space to take a look at all the guidance and policy and plan for the long-term future.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Navy Operational Support Centers that were scheduled to support drilling reservists this weekend will remain open for those who need imminent mobilization and mission-essential help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For those reservists whose upcoming weekend drill period is mandated by operational units, Tisdale urged them to contact their chain of command to determine if they\u2019re considered mission-essential personnel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although there are nearly 50,000 Selected Reservists<\/a> in the force, only a portion of them were scheduled to drill this weekend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tisdale said that leaders made the decision the postpone this weekend\u2019s training in the wake of recent guidance from the Department of Defense and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to help halt a global coronavirus pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Thursday, the Navy announced that a Maine-based reservist tested \u201cpresumptive positive\u201d<\/a> for COVID-19, which she likely contracted while on duty in Italy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Officials at Commander, Navy Reserve Force will continue to study the latest travel and Force Health Protection guidelines for reservists and civilian personnel and pledged to continue updating sailors through Navy Reserve activities chain of command and myNRH.mil.<\/p>\n\n\n\t