SOCOM boss tests positive for COVID-19

Army Gen. Army Richard Clarke is working from home this week after testing positive for COVID-19 on Sunday.

Clarke is fully vaccinated, according to a Monday release, and has received a booster.

“He has very mild symptoms and is able to fully perform all his duties remotely,” the release said.

Clarke, who works out of MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, has not met in person with any of DoD’s civilian leadership, or the Joint Chiefs of Staff, since the new year, according to the release.

Unrelatedly, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Marine Corps Commandant Gen. David Berger have contracted COVID-19 this month.

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Austin’s office announced Jan. 3 that he had tested positive, with mild symptoms. He was back in the office Jan. 10, after symptoms had subsided. The Pentagon requires masks unless individuals are alone in an office with a closed door.

Both Milley and Berger announced they had tested positive on Jan. 17 and would be working remotely.

DoD policy requires anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 to isolate for at least five days, or until symptoms improve, then wear a mask at work for another five days regardless of local mask rules.

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