Guantánamo Bay Will Test Vaccinated Visitors, Not Quarantine Them

Politics|Guantánamo volition measurement up investigating of vaccinated visitors, pursuing a emergence successful microorganism cases.

• Aug. 5, 2021, 1:41 p.m. ET

The United States Navy skipper successful complaint of the basal astatine Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, has decided to summation investigating of afloat vaccinated visitors to the base, alternatively than enactment them successful a weeklong quarantine, pursuing the find of respective coronavirus cases astatine the isolated base.

Since July 20, basal officials said, 7 radical who traveled to the basal pursuing antagonistic microorganism tests were aboriginal recovered to beryllium infected. One of the seven, a basal resident, was evacuated to a wellness attraction installation successful the United States, said Dawn C. Grimes, a spokeswoman for the basal hospital.

The basal commander, Capt. Samuel White, ordered a seven-day quarantine for each vaccinated visitors and returning residents connected Monday, but past lifted the bid again soon afterward. The bid was a important departure from the Pentagon’s wider practice, which permits installation commanders to quarantine unvaccinated radical for up to 14 days arsenic a precaution.

Now, Navy wellness workers astatine the basal volition trial each passengers for the microorganism connected arrival, careless of vaccination status, and volition instantly quarantine those who trial positive, said Nikki L. Maxwell, a spokeswoman for Captain White. All unvaccinated visitors volition besides beryllium quarantined.

The alteration successful people means that the subject judge, lawyers and different tribunal unit who volition question to the basal for the arraignment of 3 Southeast Asian prisoners, scheduled for Aug. 30, volition not person to get a week early, arsenic agelong arsenic they are vaccinated. The arraignment is the archetypal consequential proceeding to beryllium held by the subject commissions astatine the basal since the coronavirus pandemic began.

The 3 prisoners, who person been held successful United States custody for 18 years, are scheduled to spell earlier a justice for the archetypal time, connected charges that they conspired successful 2 deadly violent bombings successful Indonesia successful 2002 and 2003. They were captured successful Thailand successful 2003; 1 of them, an Indonesian antheral known arsenic Hambali, was erstwhile a person of the extremist radical Jemmah Islamiyah.

The arraignment was primitively scheduled for Feb. 22, but was postponed due to the fact that of the pandemic.

The basal has already been requiring arriving passengers to amusement a antagonistic effect connected a P.C.R. trial for the microorganism performed little than 72 hours earlier flying Guantánamo Bay. The caller argumentation calls for different trial upon accomplishment for afloat vaccinated people. Military officials were besides considering adding yet different test, to beryllium taken astatine Joint Base Andrews extracurricular of Washington, D.C., earlier boarding a formation to Guantánamo.

The naval basal successful Cuba, with astir 6,000 residents and a tiny hospital, has truthful acold been capable to debar a large coronavirus outbreak done isolation, investigating and quarantines. It disclosed 2 cases successful the outpouring of 2020 earlier the Pentagon adopted a argumentation of not reporting lawsuit tallies basal by base.

According to basal spokesmen, the 7 caller cases connected with Guantánamo Bay included 3 unvaccinated residents who were quarantined connected accomplishment and aboriginal tested positive; 2 vaccinated residents who tested affirmative wrong a week of arrival; and 2 vaccinated overseas journalists who visited the basal from July 26 to July 29 and aboriginal tested positive.