WASHINGTON _ The number of National Guard service members activated to help states with the coronavirus response is likely to double by this weekend, and quickly reach into the "tens of thousands" as U.S. cases increase, the top general in charge of those forces said Thursday.
The activations come as the number of coronavirus cases in the United States topped 10,000 and states look for ways to address additional strain on their health care systems and public services.
"I'm expecting tens of thousands to be used inside the states as this grows," U.S. Air Force Gen. Joseph L. Lengyel, chief of the National Guard Bureau, told reporters at the Pentagon Thursday. "This could quickly blossom in the next couple of weeks as governors and states determine their needs and ways to use their national guards."
The new strain on the National Guard comes as units along the East and Gulf Coasts are actively planning for the 2020 hurricane season, Lengyel said.
Hurricane season begins June 1 and earlier this week President Donald Trump said it was possible the coronavirus outbreak could run into July or August. Lengyel said units may have to adapt if a community hit by coronavirus is also hit by a hurricane, and needs to evacuate while some residents are in quarantine.
"We may have to adapt how we do it, if people out there, if there's quarantine things out there, but hopefully by the July-August time frame, when hurricanes hit with their traditional size, perhaps it can be mitigated by then," Lengyel said. "But we'll just have to deal with that when it comes."
So far, 27 states have activated a total of 2,050 National Guard forces to assist with distributing tests, handing out food and other tasks, such as disinfecting public spaces.
The National Guard has a total of 450,000 personnel who serve in Army or air units from all 50 states, the U.S. territories and the District of Columbia. Almost 22,000 personnel are currently serving overseas.
As long as any National Guard forces called to active duty remain under the control of their state governors, and are not federalized, they can be used for law enforcement purposes, including enforcing curfews if needed, Lengyel said.
While there are medical units in the Guard, Lengyel said any decision to activate civilian medics who serve in the Guard would take the needs of their local communities into account.
