New York National Guard operations update for March 31

LATHAM, NY (03/31/2020) (readMedia)-- On Tuesday, March 31, 2020, the New York National Guard has 2,750 personnel on mission across the state. This includes members of the New York Army and Air National Guard, the New York Guard (State Defense Force), and the New York Naval Militia.

Six Joint Task Forces are operating on Long Island, New York City, the Hudson Valley, Capital Region, Syracuse and Buffalo to support state and local governments.

In New York City, New York National Guard, personnel continue to support operations at the Jacob Javits Center FEMA field hospital.

A New York National Guard mayor's cell and other Soldiers are support the federal civilian and Army medical personnel at the site as the unified command post for multi-agency response at the Javits Center.

New York has established a dual-status commander, New York Army National Guard Brig. Gen. Michel Natali, the New York National Guard's Assistant Adjutant General, Army, to command both National Guard and active duty forces operating in thestate.

The New York National Guard is supporting seven drive-thru testing sites. Sites are located at SUNY Stony Brook, Jones Beach State Park, Staten Island, Glen Island State Park in Westchester County, the Anthony Wayne Service area in Rockland County, and Lehman College and Coop City- Bay Plaza Mall in the Bronx. Army National Guard medics and Air National Guard medical technicians are assisting in sampling at the site and general purposes forces are providing administrative and logistics support.

New York National Guard personnel are continuing to support food packaging and distribution today in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island and in Westchester County. New York National Guard Soldiers will be distributing food to residents under quarantine orders in Albany County.

New York Soldiers and Airmen are conducting logistics and administrative missions in support of the state response in all locations including New York City, Long Island and Westchester County. The New York National Guard is also supporting warehouse and bulk distribution at five sites in the Hudson Valley, the Albany area, and the Mohawk Valley.

Today the New York National Guard will work with the New York State Office of General Services and the New York State Department of Transportation to deliver ventilators to hospitals.

Hand sanitizer warehousing and deliveries continue today across the lower Hudson Valley.

New York National Guard troops are also prepared to clean public facilities as required.

The New York National Guard continues to provide support to the New York State Coronavirus Hotline with troops working in a call center in Rotterdam, N.Y. to offering updated information to the public. Other Soldiers support a call center mission in Brooklyn in New York City. The military personnel are in addition to hundreds of New York State employees who are also fielding calls.

Soldiers are also on call to assist Department of Health officials at the Wadsworth Laboratory in Albany for packaging COVID 19 test kits.

New York National Guard images continue to go up on DVIDS: https://www.dvidshub.net/unit/NYNG, and our NY National Guard Flickr site, https://www.flickr.com/photos/nyng.

Please attribute to Col. Richard Goldenberg, public affairs officer. He can also be reached at Richard.l.goldenberg.mil@mail.mil or (518) 786-6150.