The holiday season has begun — and with it, a whole new way of celebrating the season amidst a worldwide pandemic. With COVID-19 numbers increasing across the entire country and talks of shut-downs, curfews and mandatory quarantines, our military families are stuck asking ourselves whether traveling home this holiday season is worth it. For most, this season is the one time during the year service members have time to travel to spend with loved ones. In addition, travel restrictions at installations across the nation are preventing service members from taking leave.
Army spouse and founder of @mamas_onthe_move, an Instagram page dedicated to informing and supporting fellow military families through their DITY moves, Mallory P., has plenty of experience traveling during the pandemic. She completed a mid-summer PCS this summer but still plans on staying put for the holidays. For Mallory and her family of five, the risks weren’t worth it.
“We planned to go visit our families this year but decided it was best to stay home. There is so much uncertainty with the pandemic and we have high-risk family members, so we felt canceling our plans was the right thing to do. We were also on a condensed timeline this Christmas due to my husband’s job, so the limited amount of time spent with our family did not outweigh the risks or hassle of traveling,” Mallory said.
While it isn’t always common for Mallory and her family to travel home for the holidays, they were looking forward to it this year due to their recent move to a base close to their hometown.
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“I am feeling disappointed but optimistic. The situation is definitely not ideal but it gives our family the opportunity to spend more time together.”
While the decision to stay home or travel this year is most certainly a tough one service members have another factor to figure in first: Are they even allowed to travel?
Since the beginning of the pandemic, the Department of Defense has been proactive in keeping military service members and their families safe by implementing travel restrictions and travel bans. While many of those travel restrictions on military bases across the globe have been lifted, some have been reinstated since the start of cold and flu season. Other installations are expected to follow suit if COVID-19 numbers continue to rise.
In early November, 64% of military installations were reported as having lifted travel restrictions, allowing service members and their families to travel out of state. But, according to the DOD’s latest COVID-19 Travel Restrictions Installation Status Update, which was updated Dec. 2, that number dropped to only 48% of military installations having lifted travel restrictions on service members. More restrictions are likely to follow in the coming weeks as COVID-19 numbers increase.
Military families stationed at military installations with travel restrictions in place are looking at a bit of a different holiday season this year— whether they wanted to or not. For Navy spouse, Roxane Mitchell, the restrictions set in place were a little hard to swallow.
“We were supposed to visit my family in France for Christmas. We had these great tickets to Paris since the spring,” Mitchell said.
“I really was hoping to go until my husband’s command denied his OCONUS leave in October. He isn’t allowed to take a practically empty direct flight across the Atlantic but yet we were told boarding multiple connection domestic flights during the holiday season was okay. I was mad but had no choice. We ended up planning to meet his family in Michigan but canceled these tickets as well, two weeks later, out of frustration with the ever-changing HPCON restrictions. We haven’t seen both of our families in almost two years and have no idea when we’ll get to hug them again.”
Mitchell is not alone when it comes to being barred from travel this holiday season. The majority of military installations have imposed travel restrictions, while many others have discouraged travel by imposing a mandatory quarantine upon return.
DOD criteria on travel restrictions
So, what does it mean exactly if your installation falls under a travel restriction? According to the DOD, a military installation must meet three criteriums in order to lift travel restrictions:
Step 1. Meet state/country Opening Up America Gating criteria (14-day declining trend in symptoms and cases; no Stay At Home order).
Step 2: Meet installation criteria (no travel restrictions, HPCON below Charlie, essential services available, quality assurance in place for movers).
Step 3: Chief Management Officer, the secretary of a military department or a combatant Commander approve lifting travel restrictions for an installation.
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Most importantly, both steps 1 and 2 must be met before a combatant commander is allowed to approve lifting travel restrictions. And, most notably, because of the ever-changing individual state guidelines throughout the U.S., travel restrictions can lift but can then be reinstated at a moment’s notice, making travel plans and expectations extremely difficult. If you plan to travel this holiday season, it is important that all travel guidance be taken from your service member’s chain of command, but it is also helpful to follow the DOD’s Coronavirus: DOD response website for a consistently updated list of all military installations and their current travel restriction status.
While the current restrictions may be disheartening to those missing the familiar holiday traditions, the strength and resiliency that serves as the backbone of military families are still shining through. Many are finding peace in the quietness of the holidays in what has been a strange year.
“In a way, this holiday season isn’t new,” Mallory said. “The pandemic is new but canceled plans, uncertainty, and shattered expectations aren’t new for families in the military. But, one thing that military life has taught me is how to adapt to change, embrace the unexpected, and make the most of the situation at hand. After a really hard year, a slow, relaxing Christmas together may be just what we need.”
