U.S. Marine recruits stand in formation as they wait in line for health screenings at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD) on April 13, 2020 in San Diego, California. New COVID-19 distancing practices have gone into effect for new recruits such as standing six feet apart while in formation, a health screening, and a 14-day quarantine period at an off-site hotel before boot camp begins.
A Pentagon memo that says a COVID-19 diagnosis “permanently” disqualifies recruits from joining the military is actually “interim guidance” and recruits who have recovered from the disease may still be able to get a waiver that lets them sign up, according to a defense official.
The official did not say how long the interim guidance would be in place.
The memo from the U.S. Military Entrance Processing Command says that a “history of COVID-19, confirmed by either a laboratory test or clinician diagnosis, is permanently disqualifying.” The memo was issued Wednesday and was first reported by The Military Times.
According to the defense official, anyone who has been hospitalized would be “medically disqualified and would need a service waiver to join the military.”
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