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The Army has begun isolating servicemembers arriving at U.S. military bases upon returning from West Africa. 

According to Military Times, 12 soldiers were ordered to remain isolated for 21 days – the Ebola incubation period – at the U.S. Army's base in Vicenza, Italy, after they arrived from Liberia, though none of them were visibly ill. While current Defense Department standards do not require soldiers without symptoms to be quarantined, this could represent a step toward a stricter, more cautious policy, noted the source.

A group of 75 more servicemembers will be arriving in Italy within the next week and they will all be ordered to undergo the same isolation procedure. According to Military Times, they will be monitored closely by a medical team, but will have plenty of access to food and recreational activities. 

This added safety precaution comes after an American doctor living in New York City tested positive for the virus after being home from Africa for a few days. According to NBC News, he declined voluntary quarantine, increasing the risk of exposing the virus to other people.  

Currently, there are 700 troops in West Africa working to eradicate the Ebola outbreak – a number that will soon reach 4,000 as more soldiers deploy to assist with the mission, noted Military Times. Though they are not treating infected people, being in the central zone of the epidemic puts them at some risk of catching the illness.