Thousands Of US Sailors To Leave Coronavirus-Stricken Aircraft Carrier

Nearly 3,000 sailors aboard a US aircraft carrier will be taken off the ship by Friday following a coronavirus outbreak.

Navy officials are struggling to quarantine crew members on board the USS Theodore Roosevelt, now docked in Guam.

So far, at least 93 of the almost 5,000 sailors on board the ship have tested positive for COVID-19. 

The US Navy is moving the sailors into various facilities and has been working alongside government officials to find lodgings for the crew, including hotel rooms.

Acting US Navy Secretary Thomas Modly said 2,000 personnel will remain on board to protect the ship and run critical systems.

“We cannot and will not remove all sailors from the ship,” Mr Modly told Pentagon reporters.

He said officials would send as many sailors off the ship as possible, while still maintaining safety.

Mr Modly also said around 1,000 personnel have gone ashore and that number would rise to at least 2,700.

Mr Modly and Admiral Michael Gilday, Chief of Naval Operations, declined to say how long the ship would be sidelined.

As of Wednesday, almost 1,300 USS Theodore Roosevelt sailors have been tested for coronavirus, nearly 600 of those tests came back negative. 

Officials said they are awaiting more results and more testing.

No sailors with the virus have yet been admitted to hospital.

Cover Image: USS Theodore Roosevelt during an exercise last month (Picture: US Department of Defense).