BLUF: This direction supersedes Travelgram 20-007 and places various restrictions worldwide IAW ALNAV 025/20.
1. Effective immediately, all non-mission essential travel worldwide, to include CONUS, shall be deferred. Non-mission essential future NROWS orders with start dates out to 30 days shall be cancelled on a rolling calendar basis until further notice.
2. Effective immediately, mission essential travel to, from, or through (i.e. layovers) OCONUS CDC Travel Health Notice (THC) Level 3 locations is prohibited. The list of CDC Level 3 countries expanded considerably on 11MAR and is presented below.
a. For AC/FTS personnel as well as SELRES/IRR personnel with NROWS orders expiring greater than 60 days in the future, those personnel will be in a travel hold status IAW ALNAV 025/20 para 4c.
b. SELRES/IRR personnel with orders expiring within the next 60 days shall return home ASAP. The reason that this is permissible despite the travel prohibition is because SECDEF and SECNAV travel restrictions issued 11 & 12MAR exempt separations, and every incident of a Reservist concluding a period of active duty is considered a separation. Accordingly, as flights are available, return travel for SELRES/IRR may continue.
NOTE 1: Though travel for foreign nationals to the United States from Europe has been suspended for 60 days, this does not affect US citizens returning from Europe (flight availability and departing nation screening holds notwithstanding).
NOTE 2: Members are responsible for initiating and routing ORDMODs to truncate travel. Except in unusual circumstances as vetted by N33, they cannot call SATO to change airline reservations if there is a change in travel dates. The ORDMOD must precede the reservation changes, in part because it allows the Sailor to use DTS, thereby easing the burden on SATO in a crisis environment while maximizing flexibility for the traveler. However, if DTS shows no available options due to decreasing seats and flights, SATO can then be called and will assist the traveler due to the approved NROWS ORDMOD. Sailors are asked to be patient with long call wait times due to a surge in system wide demand in response to COVID-19. See N33 SOP-014.
i. Current NROWS orders taking place in these locations must be declared mission essential via N31’s existing process NLT 2359Z on 16MAR. NROWS orders not confirmed to be mission essential by that time must be modified to end ASAP. The approval authority for mission essential declarations in this vein continues to be the first flag/general officer or SES civilian in the supported command chain of command.
ii. Per NORTHCOM direction that remains in effect, upon return from a CDC Level 3 country service members are directed to remain at home or in a comparable setting for 14 days Restriction of Movement (ROM) from the day of departure from the affected country. These personnel will sign a Page 13 to acknowledge their ROM obligations, and they will have the opportunity to request to be on military orders (pay/allowances/points/health coverage) for the duration. Ideally the Page 13 will be signed by the service member before leaving the affected country, and the OSO will send it to N31. In the event the service member does not sign the Page 13 before departing, the TRUIC NRA will ensure completion by having the service member sign and scan the Page 13 back to the NRA remotely. It goes without saying that the service member should NOT go to the NRA to sign any paperwork while on ROM.
- This is for affected country departures on or after 06MAR for Italy, South Korea, China and Iran.
- This is for all other CDC Level 3 country departures on or after 11MAR. A current list of CDC Level 3 counties is:
Austria
Belgium
China
Czech Republic
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Iceland
Iran
Italy
Latvia
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Malta
Monaco
Netherlands
Norway
Poland
Portugal
San Marino
Slovakia
Slovenia
South Korea
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Vatican City
3. Additional guidance will be forthcoming regarding mission essential travel to locations other than CDC Level 3 or 4 locations.
4. For any NROWS orders to CDC Level 2 or less countries that include a CDC Level 3 or above affected country as a “for further assignment” stop, modify the orders to remove said stop(s). Members shall also avoid itineraries with layovers in CDC Level 3 affected countries when making travel reservations.
5. For NRAs: Screen approved leave requests in NSIPS for your AC/FTS/ADOS staff personnel. ALNAV 025/20 instructs that all personal or government-funded leave with travel to, from, or through CDC Level 3 locations is not authorized unless a waiver has been approved.
6. When cancelling orders, remember to deobligate funds by cancelling both the NROWS order and the DTS authorization (if applicable). See N33 SOP-003 for instructions.
7. OSO Mailbag 20-016 (COVID-19 Update #2) is being released concurrently with this Travelgram and will compliment it.
Helpful Links:
CDC COVID-19 Page: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/index.html
N3 COVID-19 Information Repository: https://private.navyreserve.navy.mil/cnrfc/N-Codes/N3/Pages/COVID-19-Information.aspx
