“I Marine Expeditionary Force will continue mission-essential training and tasks as directed while taking every precaution to preserve and protect the force, our families and the neighboring communities who enable us to continue our mission of sustaining combat readiness and deployability."
Yuma has roughly 104,000 residents with nearly 20 percent of the population over the age of 60 — a sizable population vulnerable to the COVID-19 virus.
Lt. Adara Story, a spokeswoman for Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron One, told Marine Corps Times in an emailed statement that the training had been deemed “mission essential training” by Gen. David Berger, the commandant of the Marine Corps, “and will continue as planned.”
The webpage aims “to disseminate the latest information on the outbreak and to highlight coordination efforts with other organizations throughout the U.S. government."