Five sailors from the US aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt were evacuated from the ship after being tested positive again, despite two weeks of isolation in Guam, a US official said on Thursday. The official, who requested anonymity, confirmed information from the New York Times , which reported that at least one sailor had been evacuated from the aircraft carrier.
These five sailors had tested positive when the crew of the ship in the grip of a rampant epidemic of Covid-19 had been evacuated in March on the island of Guam, in the Pacific. They had been quarantined and considered to be cured after being tested negative twice. Like most of the crew, they joined the ship which is about to return to sea, but symptoms have reappeared and have been tested again.
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About twenty sailors with whom they were in contact were also evacuated. When questioned, the US Navy declined to comment. A military source said on condition of anonymity that the 2,900 sailors who have already returned to Theodore Roosevelt all wore a mask at all times and at best respected social distancing. "It is a very different environment from that which prevailed when the epidemic broke out, " said the source.
The US Navy, accused of having initially underestimated the situation on board Theodore Roosevelt, has been very discreet about the condition of the crew since all the sailors of the aircraft carrier were tested in late April. A total of 1,100 sailors have tested positive and more than 25% of them are considered cured, said the military source. A sailor died from complications from the Covid-19.
The Pentagon, which wants to avoid showing any vulnerability, wants to get the ship off again as soon as possible for patrols in the Pacific intended to counter China's ambitions in the region.
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