Pentagon chief delays Asia trip to manage COVID-19

The Pentagon said on Tuesday that U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper will delay his trip to Central and South Asia to help manage the Pentagon's response to coronavirus outbreak.

Pentagon's Press Secretary Alyssa Farah tweeted that Esper had decided to postpone his travel to India, Uzbekistan, and Pakistan, adding that the trip would take place at "a later date."

The announcement came amid the increasing risk brought by COVID-19 to U.S. servicemen home and abroad.

Pentagon said on Saturday that a U.S. Marine assigned to Fort Belvoir in Fairfax County, Virginia, tested positive on Saturday for COVID-19, and is currently being treated at Fort Belvoir Community Hospital.

U.S. Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy announced on Monday that top U.S. Army general in Europe, Lt. Gen. Christopher Cavoli, and several staffers might have been exposed to the virus at a recent conference.

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the United States reached 761 as of noon local time on Tuesday, according to the Johns Hopkins Center for Systems Science and Engineering.

(CGTN)