US Defense Secretary says its not time to evacuate aircraft carrier dealing with coronavirus — even after its commander pleaded for urgent help

Getty Images

• Defense Secretary Mark Esper said the US Navy was not yet "at that point" where it ought to evacuate crew members of an aircraft carrier reportedly with a growing number of coronavirus cases.
• On Tuesday, the San Francisco Chronicle reported that the commander of an aircraft carrier wrote a four-page letter warning that the "spread of the disease is ongoing and accelerating."
• Esper, who claimed he had "not had a chance to read that letter ... in detail," said that none of the sailors were "seriously ill."
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Defense Secretary Mark Esper said the United States Navy was not yet "at that point" where it ought to evacuate crew members of an aircraft carrier reportedly coping with over a hundred cases of the novel coronavirus.

"We are moving a lot of supplies and assistance ... out of the carrier in Guam," Esper said during an interview with "CBS Evening News" on Tuesday, referring to the USS Theodore Roosevelt and its crew of over 4,000 US service members.

See the rest of the story at Business Insider

See Also:

• The US Navy is trying to get sailors off the aircraft carrier hit by a coronavirus outbreak, but it is having trouble finding enough beds
• A US aircraft carrier could be stuck in port for almost a month for coronavirus testing, but the Navy is trying to cut that time down
• US Navy rushing to test all 5,000 sailors on deployed aircraft carrier hit by serious coronavirus outbreak

from Business Insider https://ift.tt/3axyF17