PA National Guard Help Continues Responding To COVID-19 Outbreak

As of April 2, approximately 850 Pennsylvania National Guard members are involved in supporting the state’s  response to COVID-19. Some are actively conducting missions while others are preparing in anticipation of additional tasks with our interagency partners.

Under Gov. Tom Wolf’s proclamation of disaster emergency, signed March 6, the National Guard can enter onto state active duty for missions designated by the PA Emergency Management Agency. The PNG receives its tasks from PEMA under any state of Emergency.

To date, the National Guard has assisted in:

-- Returning quarantined cruise ship passengers to their Pennsylvania homes

-- Providing logistical support to the Department of Health

-- Supporting the setup of a FEMA Medical Station in Glen Mills, Delaware County

-- Transporting cots from Norristown State Hospital to the FEMA Field Hospital

The National Guard is continuing support to:

-- The community testing site in Montgomery County

-- The Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank  Read more here.

-- Continues to conduct planning with our state partner agencies.  

The National Guard has set up its Joint Emergency Operations Center and all three of its geographic emergency response management centers, the same ones used for storms and other state emergencies.  

Known as Task Force North, Task Force South and Task Force West, these management centers provide localized command and control over the PANG units, resources and tasks within their assigned geographic areas.  

Members of the PNG live and work in communities throughout Pennsylvania and are following the state Department of Health recommendations to protect their force, families and fellow Pennsylvanians.

The National Guard has canceled or postponed most of its scheduled training to support mitigation efforts and help protect the force, our families and communities. Units that have been preparing to deploy overseas will continue that preparation with special measures taken to prevent transmission. 

For more information, visit the PA National Guard website.

For the latest information on the coronavirus and precautions to take in Pennsylvania, visit the Department of Health’s Coronavirus (COVID-19) webpage, Follow them on Twitter, or Like them on Facebook.

NewsClips/Announcements:

Click Here For This Week’s PA Coronavirus NewsClips

Helpful Links:

Responding To COVID-19 In Pennsylvania - General Resource Page All Topics

State Agency Coronavirus Guidance

Attorney General - Coronavirus Price Gouging Updates 

[Posted: April 4, 2020]