Defense Secretary Mark Esper issued guidance for commanders running the military’s vast network of bases to determine when to conduct safe reopenings. The guidance, released by the Pentagon on Wednesday, does not require infections from the novel coronavirus to be absent before reopenings occur. It instructs instead that cases of documented coronavirus or coronavirus-like symptoms must be on a “downward trajectory” compared to the previous 14-day period, and base or nearby medical facilities must possess the capacity to treat patients. “If upward trajectories related to these criteria are observed or medical facilities become significantly burdened by the treatment of individuals who have contracted COVID-19, then commanders shall consider increasing” base restrictions again, Esper wrote in the guidance.