Washington (CNN)US Defense Secretary Mark Esper has signed an order freezing the movements of all US troops overseas for 60 days due to the
, according to three defense officials.
It means all US service members overseas or currently scheduled to deploy from the US will stay in their current locations for the next 60 days.
The freeze-in-place order will affect 90,000 expected scheduled deployments, including both troops scheduled to return home and troops scheduled to deploy overseas.
"This measure is taken to aid in further prevention of the spread of Coronavirus Disease 2019, to protect U.S. personnel and preserve the operational readiness of our global force," the Defense Department said.
There will be several exceptions, including for naval vessels scheduled to return to the US as long as they stay at sea for at least 14 days before returning.