Fort Campbell soldiers return, helped with virus response
Published 9:17 am Tuesday, May 26, 2020
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FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. (AP) — Eighteen soldiers assigned to the U.S. Army’s 101st Airborne Division have returned to Fort Campbell after spending more than a month in New Jersey helping with COVID-19 response operations.
Fort Campbell officials said Friday that the soldiers deployed April 14 to help provide logistical support for the response to the new coronavirus outbreak throughout the Northeast region of the U.S.
Soldiers helped receive, process and move supplies, equipment and personnel in critical areas affected by the virus outbreak, officials said in a news release.
The Fort Campbell Army post is located along the Kentucky-Tennessee border.
The soldiers will undergo a precautionary quarantine under medical supervision. An official welcome home event is being planned, officials said.
Meanwhile, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear urged residents to continue to take virus safety precautions during Memorial Day weekend. Those include wearing face masks, limiting gatherings to 10 or fewer people, gathering outside instead of inside, and covering food and individually wrapping plates.
Beshear said Saturday that there were at least 8,571 cases of new coronavirus in Kentucky. No new deaths were reported Saturday.
Tennessee health officials on Saturday reported 19,789 cases and 329 deaths. The number of cases increased by 395 from Friday’s total.
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms that clear up within weeks. But for others, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, the virus can cause severe symptoms and be fatal. The vast majority of people recover.
