Washington (CNN) The US Marine Corps said Monday that it is "temporarily suspending the shipping of new recruits" to Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island in South Carolina, where some 50% of enlisted Marines receive their basic training, due to novel coronavirus concerns.

The move comes as the number of positive cases at the military installation has reached 38, a defense official told CNN. Those cases include new recruits, trainers, staff and dependents.

"Amid the national emergency caused by the COVID-19 outbreak and out of an abundance of caution, the Marine Corps is taking steps to protect its recruits, recruit training personnel, their families and the communities where they live and serve by temporarily suspending the shipping of new recruits to Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, South Carolina," the Marines said in a statement.

"Recruit training for individuals already at the Depot will continue as planned, with continued emphasis on personal and environmental cleanliness and social distancing," the statement added.

The Pentagon is refusing to publicly confirm the cases at Parris Island because Defense Secretary Mark Esper ordered there be no disclosure of how individual units, bases, or combatant commands are being affected by the virus. However, the Department of Defense discloses the overall number of cases across the department on a daily basis.

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