BATTLE AGAINST THE P >>> WELCOME BACK TO "MORNING
JOE."
JOE." THE NAVY IS DEPLOYING TWO
SUPPORT SHIPS ON EITHER COASTS
OF THE UNITED STATES TO HELP
HOSPITALS AMID THE CORONAVIRUS
OUTBREAK.
OUTBREAK. THE USNS MERCY HAS DEPARTED FOR
LOS ANGELES AND THE USNS COMFORT
IS PREPARING FOR DEPLOYMENT TO
NEW YORK CITY.
JOINING US FROM NORFOLK,
VIRGINIA, WHERE THE USNS COMFORT
IS CURRENTLY STATIONED, NATIONAL
SECURITY AND MILITARY
CORRESPONDENT COURTNEY KUBE.
THE PRESIDENT HAS BEEN TOUTING
THIS SHIP.
THIS SHIP. GOVERNOR CUOMO THANKED THE
PRESIDENT FOR SENDING THE SHIP.
EXACTLY WHEN WILL IT ARRIVE AND
HOW WILL IT FUNCTION TO SUPPORT
THE HOSPITALS IN NEW YORK CITY?
>> Reporter: WELL, SO, WILLIE,
IF YOU CAN SEE BEHIND ME RIGHT
NOW
NOW NOW, IT’S ON THE OTHER SIDE OF
THE COMFORT, THE GIANT WHITE
HOSPITAL SHIP THAT’S RIGHT
BEHIND ME, THERE ARE SAILORS
LINED UP, BOARDING THE SHIP
RIGHT NOW.
RIGHT NOW. THIS SHIP CAN HOLD ABOUT 1,000
MEDICAL PERSONNEL AND HAS MORE
THAN 1,200 BEDS -- EXCUSE ME, I
HAVE THAT BACKWARDS, 1,200
MEDICAL PERSONNEL AND 1,000 BEDS
THAT FUNCTIONS AS A FLOATING
HOSPITAL.
HOSPITAL. IT’S IMPORTANT TO POINT OUT WHAT
THIS SHIP CAN DO AND WHAT IT’S
REALLY NOT SET UP TO DO.
WITH THE CORONAVIRUS RESPONSE,
THIS SHIP WILL ACT ESSENTIAL LYL
AS A FLOATING HOSPITAL THAT’S
NOT TREATING CORONAVIRUS.
SO, IT HAS ONE ISOLATION WARD
BUT IT’S REALLY NOT SET UP FOR
ISOLATION PATIENTS, FOR PEOPLE
WITH CONTAGIOUS DISEASES, BUT
IT’S ACTUALLY ONE OF THE LARGEST
TRAUMA FACILITIES IN THE UNITED
STATES.
STATES. SO IT WILL TAKE ON THE PATIENTS
IN THIS CASE IN NEW YORK CITY
WHO HAVE, YOU KNOW, BASIC TRAUMA
WOUNDS, HEART ATTACKS, THE KINDS
OF THINGS THAT THE HOSPITALS
REALLY CAN’T HANDLE RIGHT NOW
WHILE THEY’RE FOCUSED ON SO MANY
HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF
CORONAVIRUS PATIENTS.
CORONAVIRUS PATIENTS. SO THE SHIP IS BOARDING RIGHT
NOW.
NOW. IT WILL GET UNDER WAY IN THE
NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS AND IT WILL
TAKE A COUPLE OF DAYS TO GET UP
TO NEW YORK CITY.
ONCE IT’S THERE, IT GENERALLY
TAKES 24 HOURS BEFORE IT WILL
START SEEING PATIENTS.
ANOTHER THING YOU PROBABLY CAN’T
REALLY SEE FROM OUR SHOT HERE IS
THAT IT HAS THREE DIFFERENT WAYS
OF GETTING THOSE PATIENTS ON
BOARD SO IT CAN BRING THEM ON IN
EMERGENCY SITUATIONS VIA
HELICOPTER.
HELICOPTER. IT CAN ACTUALLY BRING PATIENTS
ON VIA SMALL BOATS AND THERE’S,
IN SOME CASES, EVEN BRING PEOPLE
UP VIA RAMPS GOING ON.
SO, WILLIE, WE EXPECT THEM TO BE
IN PORT, TAKING PATIENTS AS
EARLY AS LATE NEXT WEEK.
>> AS YOU SAY IT’S A FULL
FLOATING HOSPITAL.
FLOATING HOSPITAL. IT’S AN INCREDIBLE SHIP AND WILL
TAKE SOME OF THE PRESSURE OFF
THESE NEW YORK CITY HOSPITALS
THAT EFFECTIVELY HAVE BECOME
CORONAVIRUS WARDS UNTO
THEMSELVES TO GET SOME OF THOSE
OTHER CRITICAL PATIENTS ON TO
THE SHIP.
THE SHIP. I WANT TO ASK YOU ABOUT
SOMETHING ELSE.
SOMETHING ELSE. MIKE ESPER ANNOUNCING THAT
AMERICAN TROOP MOVEMENTS AROUND
THE WORLD WILL BE HALTED FOR THE
TIME.
TIME. OBVIOUSLY, CORONAVIRUS HAS
INFECTED THE UNITED STATES
MILITARY AS WELL.
WHAT MORE CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT
THAT?
THAT? >> Reporter: YEAH, THAT’S RIGHT.
SEVERAL DAYS AGO, SECRETARY
ESPER SAID THAT ANY TROOPS WHO
WERE COMING AND GOING FROM THE
COUNTRIES THAT WERE STRONGLY
AFFECTED BY CORONAVIRUS, HE CUT
THAT OFF.
THAT OFF. BUT JUST YESTERDAY, LATE
YESTERDAY HE SIGNED AN ORDER
THAT SAID THERE WILL BE NO TROOP
MOVEMENTS GOING OVERSEAS OR BACK
FOR 60 DAYS.
WHAT THAT MEANS FOR THE AVERAGE
U.S. SERVICE MEMBER, SOLDIER,
SAILOR, AIRMAN, MARINE, THEIR
FAMILIES AND CIVILIAN PERSONNEL
WHO SUPPORT THEM, THESE PEOPLE
WILL GET THEIR ORDERS SEVERAL
WEEKS OUT AND THEN THEY START
MOVING THEIR HOUSEHOLD GOODS,
THEIR VEHICLES, THEIR CLOTHES,
THEIR FURNITURE.
THEIR FURNITURE. THEY’LL MOVE THEM OUT DAYS, EVEN
WEEKS BEFORE THEY GO.
SO THERE WILL BE SITUATIONS HERE
WHERE PEOPLE HAVE ALREADY MOVED
THEIR THINGS OVERSEAS AND NOW
THEY’RE STUCK, WHETHER IT’S HERE
OR IN THEIR LOCATION OVERSEAS
WITH NONE OF THEIR THINGS FOR
THE NEXT 60 DAYS.
IT IS POSSIBLE THAT IT WOULDN’T
GO THE FULL 60 DAYS.
THEY’RE WORKING TOWARD A WORST
CASE SCENARIO ACCORDING TO
DEFENSE OFFICIALS I SPOKE WITH.
IT’S IMPORTANT TO POINT OUT,
WILLIE, THIS WILL NOT IMPACT THE
DRAWDOWN IN AFGHANISTAN.
THE U.S. MILITARY IS GOING THERE
FROM 14,000 TROOPS TO DOWN TO
8,600.
8,600. THEY’LL BE THERE EARLY JUNE IF
THEY SAIL ON THE TIMELINE
THEY’RE ON RIGHT NOW.
THOSE TROOPS WILL BE STILL
COMING HOME.
COMING HOME. TROOPS ARE COMING OUT OF
LOCATIONS, WAR ZONES.
SOME OF THEM WILL HAVE TO GO
INTO QUARANTINE, BUT THE 60-DAY
OVERSEAS BAN OR HALT IN OVERSEAS
MOVEMENT WILL NOT APPLY TO THEM,
WILLIE.
WILLIE. >> IT WAS INEVITABLE THAT
CORONAVIRUS WAS GOING TO VISIT
THE UNITED STATES MILITARY.
NOW THEY’RE TAKING THOSE
PRECAUTIONS.
PRECAUTIONS. NBC’S COURTNEY KUBE IN FRONT OF