NATO HQ staffer tests positive for COVID-19
NATO confirmed on 9 March that a member of staff at its headquarters in Brussels, Belgium has tested positive for coronavirus.
The individual had recently returned from a trip to northern Italy, where 14 provinces are in lockdown.
‘The staff member is currently at home in self-isolation,’ a NATO spokesperson announced in a statement.
‘Within minutes of receiving the result, all the immediate work colleagues were informed. They had been working from home at the end of last week and continued to do so. All NATO headquarters staff have also been informed.’
NATO has already taken a number of measures to prevent an outbreak amongst its HQ personnel, including the suspension of certain staff travel, encouraging staff to work from home and the suspension of group visits.
Other military-related activities continue as normal.
The announcement came after the DoD disclosed that a US Marine stationed at Fort Belvoir, Virginia also tested positive for COVID-19 after returning from a business trip abroad.
More from Defence Notes
-
![Eurosatory 2026: New public security needs drive personal protection equipment modernisation]()
Eurosatory 2026: New public security needs drive personal protection equipment modernisation
European law enforcement and public security agencies are entering a new cycle of investment in personal protection equipment (PPE), driven by evolving threat profiles, officer welfare requirements and advances in materials technology.
-
![The speed of relevance: how companies can navigate the new era of European defence procurement]()
The speed of relevance: how companies can navigate the new era of European defence procurement
European militaries face a rapidly evolving security landscape and defence production must accelerate to meet surging demand for platforms and equipment. Industry needs to adapt to ensure it gets its products into the hands of the end user, Evelyn Rafferty, Senior Director Aerospace and Defence - Europe at Plexus told Shephard’s Gerrard Cowan.
-
![Eurosatory 2026: Milrem Robotics puts forward multi-layered defence concept for NATO’s eastern flank]()
Eurosatory 2026: Milrem Robotics puts forward multi-layered defence concept for NATO’s eastern flank
Autonomous systems developer Milrem has evolved a model for an interoperable robotised approach to the Eastern Flank Deterrence Initiative (EFDI), showing how uncrewed systems could provide a multi-layered defence architecture in the air and on land along NATO’s eastern borders.
