Coronavirus: National Guard Helping IL Residents Amid Pandemic

ILLINOIS — About 31,000 Army and Air National Guard troops have been activated across the country to support the coronavirus pandemic response, with about 650 troops activated in Illinois to assist residents, according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Defense. Illinois Guard liaison officers have been placed in emergency operations centers to oversee what's happening at state hospitals in an effort to determine if more Guard support is needed, said Army Lt. Col. Michael Eastridge, the chief of operations for the Illinois National Guard's joint task force.

All missions are initiated by local agencies and, according to Eastridge, are in close collaboration with Governor J.B. Pritzker.

"The civil-military relationship has been absolutely outstanding," Eastridge said. "The flow of information has been continuous throughout the day."

Guard operations are centrally located for warehouse activities in Springfield, and according to Eastridge, members are being trained on personal protective equipment before conducting operations. Coronavirus testing kits and religious support teams are available throughout Illinois for service members, the news release said.

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A few of the activities the National Guard is engaged in throughout Illinois, according to Eastridge:

• Supporting the buildout of the McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago as an alternate care facility, in collaboration with the Army Corps of Engineers.
• Providing support to Cook County medical centers in respectful removal of the deceased. Service members are not physically removing the deceased from homes, he said, but rather are assisting the Cook County medical examiner's office with dignified transport of the deceased.
• Providing medical screenings at Stateville and Sheridan correctional facilities.
• Supporting logistics for alternate housing facilities in Schaumburg, Springfield and Mount Vernon. These facilities allow family members to isolate themselves if they don't already have the ability to do that to help prevent COVID-19 spread within families, he explained.
• Operating drive-thru testing sites, including in Harwood Heights, Markham and Bloomington. More sites will be established upon request of state health officials, he said

More: Guard Assists Illinois Residents in COVID-19 Response — David Vergun, DOD News