Fort Bliss says over 400 soldiers quarantined, ‘Stop Movement’ order in effect

FORT BLISS, Texas -- In a live-streamed town hall meeting Tuesday night, leadership at Fort Bliss said more than 400 soldiers were under quarantine - but it sought to calm concerns at the Army post about coronavirus. (You can watch the entire event in the video player above.)

The 404 soldiers have all been quarantined since last Thursday after returning from deployments. The Army is applying a quarantine to any soldier who has left the continental 48 states and traveled to a country that is designated as a Level 2 or 3 Travel Health Notice by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.

There have not been any confirmed cases of the virus reported so far by either Fort Bliss or William Beaumont Army Medical Center involving soldiers or their families.

Officials said a "Stop Movement" order is in effect to limit the potential spread of the virus. That means soldiers are not being granted any leave that would take them more than 100 miles from Fort Bliss.

The "Stop Movement" restriction further halts "all domestic travel, including permanent change of station, and temporary duty.”

The virtual town hall discussion lasted around two hours, during which time officials also said the military installation would follow local directives by the El Paso City/County Health Department - which is ordering the closure of bars and placing restrictions on restaurants and some other businesses.

Officials indicated Beaumont was equipped to be able to conduct as many as 1,500 virus tests currently. As ABC-7 previously reported, Beaumont has set up isolation rooms at the medical facility should hospital quarantining of virus patients become necessary.