New Marine recruits replace coronavirus infected recruits

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Marine recruits sit on a bus after receiving a health screening and getting their gear before heading to a hotel for quarantine at the Marine Corp Recruit Depot(MCRD) on Monday, April 13, 2020. New COVID-19 distancing practices have gone into effect for new recruits such as standing six feet apart, health screenings and a 14-day quarantine period before boot camp begins. (Sandy Huffaker )

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Marine recruits stand in formation as they wait for health screenings at the Marine Corp Recruit Depot(MCRD) on Monday, April 13, 2020. New COVID-19 distancing practices have gone into effect for new recruits such as standing six feet apart, health screenings and a 14-day quarantine period before boot camp begins. (Sandy Huffaker)

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Marine recruit Tristan Mayfield stands in formation while receiving his gear at the Marine Corp Recruit Depot(MCRD) on Monday, April 13, 2020. New COVID-19 distancing practices have gone into effect for new recruits such as standing six feet apart, health screening and a 14-day quarantine period before boot camp begins. (Sandy Huffaker)

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Marine recruits stand in formation as they wait for health screenings at the Marine Corp Recruit Depot(MCRD) on Monday, April 13, 2020. New COVID-19 distancing practices have gone into effect for new recruits such as standing six feet apart, health screening and a 14-day quarantine period before boot camp begins. (Sandy Huffaker)

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Marine recruits stand in formation as they wait for health screenings at the Marine Corp Recruit Depot(MCRD) on Monday, April 13, 2020. New COVID-19 distancing practices have gone into effect for new recruits such as standing six feet apart, health screening and a 14-day quarantine period before boot camp begins. (Sandy Huffaker)

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Sgt. Briana Lomeli hands a recruit clothing items at the Marine Corp Recruit Depot(MCRD) on Monday, April 13, 2020. New COVID-19 distancing practices have gone into effect for new recruits such as standing six feet apart, health screening and a 14-day quarantine period before boot camp begins. (Sandy Huffaker)

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Brig. Gen. Ryan Heritage speaks with marine recruits at the Marine Corp Recruit Depot(MCRD) on Monday, April 13, 2020. New COVID-19 distancing practices have gone into effect for new recruits such as standing six feet apart, health screening and a 14-day quarantine period before boot camp begins. (Sandy Huffaker)

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Marine hospital corpsman Rodolfo Arellano takes recruit Tristan Mayfield’s temperature during a health screening at the Marine Corp Recruit Depot(MCRD) on Monday, April 13, 2020. (Sandy Huffaker)

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Marine recruits stand in formation as they receive their gear at the Marine Corp Recruit Depot(MCRD) on Monday, April 13, 2020. New COVID-19 distancing practices have gone into effect for new recruits such as standing six feet apart, health screening and a 14-day quarantine period before boot camp begins. (Sandy Huffaker)

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Brig. General Ryan Heritage looks over new Marine recruits as they stand at attention at the Marine Corp Recruit Depot(MCRD) on Monday, April 13, 2020. New COVID-19 distancing practices have gone into effect for new recruits such as standing six feet apart, health screening and a 14-day quarantine period before boot camp begins. (Sandy Huffaker)

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Marine recruits stand in formation after receiving their gear at the Marine Corp Recruit Depot(MCRD) on Monday, April 13, 2020. New COVID-19 distancing practices have gone into effect for new recruits such as standing six feet apart, health screening and a 14-day quarantine period before boot camp begins. (Sandy Huffaker)

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Marine recruits stand in formation before boarding a bus for quarantine at the Marine Corp Recruit Depot(MCRD) on Monday, April 13, 2020. New COVID-19 distancing practices have gone into effect for new recruits such as standing six feet apart, health screening and a 14-day quarantine period before boot camp begins. (Sandy Huffaker)

By Andrew Dyer

San Diego Union-Tribune

April 16, 2020 11:20 AM PT

SAN DIEGO —

Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego welcomed a new company of recruits Monday evening as the Corps tries to maintain its training pipeline, a week after several recruits in San Diego tested positive for the coronavirus.

The positive cases have not been reported previously but were acknowledged by Brig. Gen. Ryan Heritage during an interview with the San Diego Union-Tribune on Monday. Recruits who tested positive are in isolation while the rest of the company — Bravo Company — is quarantined on the base, said Capt. Martin Harris, a depot spokesman.

The new company arriving at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego — Echo Company — is undergoing a new process in San Diego that also will be used at the Marine Corps’ East Coast boot camp at Parris Island, S.C.

Recruits who arrived in San Diego on Monday will stay at an undisclosed hotel off-base where, confined to rooms of two each, they will remain for 14 days before returning to the depot to begin training.

The purpose of the quarantine, Heritage said, is to keep recruits separate from those further along in training.

The depot has established a command post at the hotel and recruits will have 24-hour security. They’ll also be screened several times a day for signs of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.

Heritage said the work of producing new Marines is an important part of maintaining the military’s readiness to respond if needed.

“The lifeblood of the Marine Corps comes through here, so we gotta continue to pump that through,” he said.

“But we’re doing so with force preservation, so safety and health of the recruits and all the permanent personnel — Marines and civilians — is really up front with us.”

New Marine recruits replace those who tested positive for coronavirus in San Diego

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