As two new cases over the weekend were confirmed, Fort Drum continues to do everything it can to help keep everyone free of the Coronavirus on post and into the North Country.
Perhaps one of the hardest parts of that is telling the families of soldiers, that despite coming home early from Afghanistan, they can't reconnect right away. New COVID-19 guidelines require all soldiers coming back from a deployment to quarantine on post for at least 14 days.
Video from Fort Drum shows families what those two weeks will be like for their soldier. Much like the living barracks on post, there are beds, bathrooms, showers, kitchens and even ways to receive gifts from loved ones. There's TVs, books and more for entertainment and every day soldiers take part in physical training and classroom studies to stay mission ready.
"I mean the living conditions are great. I've lived in the barracks before. They bring chow to us. We get care packages. They even have free wifi for us," Private First Class Christopher Higgins of the 1st BCT's 1st Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment said.
The free Wi-Fi is what many soldiers say is the most important. It is a way to connect with their families on a daily basis as they spend the time in quarantine.
"Everybody in my family seems to be doing well. The family contact, especially with the free internet they allow us to have, it’s very easy to stay in touch with your family," PFC Higgins said.
"Rather than just stay in this room for 14 days and just stew in here, we don't want that. We want to be able to give them as much of a normal life for those 14 days as we can," CSM Mario Teneas, 10th Mountain Division Senior Enlisted Leaders said.
Over those 14 days, soldiers who receive a clean bill of health are able to get back home. If there's an issue with Coronavirus, a soldier would be brought to an isolated area and cared for until healthy once again.
Fort Drum Soldiers Coming Home From Overseas Must Quarantine
PUBLISHED April 7, 2020 @3:58 PM