Almost 200 hundred members of the National Guard have contracted COVID-19, according to defense officials.
Approximately 26,000 troops were deployed to the nation’s capital from all 50 states ahead of President Joe Biden’s inauguration in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday. They were sent following the insurrection at the Capitol, in an abundance of caution due to fear Biden might be the target of an attack.
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The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that the almost 7,000 troops sent to Biden’s inauguration were screened for COVID, but not all were tested. Consequently, a defense official told the outlet that almost 200 members had now fallen sick with the coronavirus and many are beginning to show symptoms of the airborne disease that is easily transmitted.
Due to the close proximity of the guards, at times shown in cramped quarters and sleeping in the halls of Congress, maintaining COVID-19 protocols became difficult. Testing will be conducted within the next few days for the full force.
Politico reported that National Guard members were frustrated that more was not done to ensure their health and well-being ahead of their arrival. Anonymous guards said they were forced to get their own COVID-19 tests and told to disregard guidelines about the disease due to the urgency of the impending inauguration.
“We did not get COVID tests on arrival,” said another Guard member. “Right after the holidays, they packed us together like sardines in buses and rooms for this.”
Another service member grumbled that the circumstances made it particularly hard to practice social distancing.
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“You should have seen late-coming states scavenge for space,” another Guardsman said. “It would have made a great sitcom: people literally making offices out of hallways and any unoccupied space.”
The number of guards testing positive for COVID-19 is more blowback for the organization after thousands of troops were told to leave the Capitol building post-inauguration. They were forced to sleep outside in parking garages with one restroom for about 5,000 guard members.
The decision to treat the Guards in such a manner brought bipartisan condemnation from lawmakers and the Senate Rules Committee is now investigating.
“Ideally, these guys should all be in hotels. When they’re taking rest time, they should be taking it outside the campus with an ability to be separated and socially distanced,” Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) said. “Ultimately we’ve got to make sure that they’re not taking their extended rest time on campus, that they’re in hotel rooms.”
First Lady Dr. Jill Biden took time on Friday to acknowledge the sacrifices of the Guards. She visited them with baked goods.
“I just wanted to come today to say thank you to all of you for keeping me and my family safe … The White House baked you some chocolate chip cookies,” she said.
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