U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said on Tuesday it was not time to evacuate a U.S. aircraft carrier reeling from an outbreak of coronavirus, adding that he had not read in detail a letter from the commander of the ship pleading for help.
His response came after the call from captain of the U.S. aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt on Navy leadership for stronger measures to save the lives of his sailors and stop the spread of the coronavirus aboard the ship.
In the four-page letter, Captain Brett Crozier described a bleak situation on board the nuclear-powered, 5,000-person carrier as more and more sailors test positive for COVID-19, writing that the carrier lacked enough quarantine and isolation facilities and warned the current strategy would slow but fail to eradicate the virus.
File photo of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt. /Reuters
In his interview with CBS News, Esper did not comment directly on Crozier's proposal, at least in the portions that aired. Asked if it was time to evacuate the carrier, Esper said: "I don't think we're at that point."
"We're moving a lot of supplies and assistance, medical assistance, out to the carrier in Guam. We're providing additional medical personnel as they need it," Esper said, adding the goal was still to contain the virus and that none of the crew were seriously ill.
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The Theodore Roosevelt is just the latest example of the spread of the virus within the U.S. military. Navy officials said that sailors onboard a number of ships have tested positive, including an amphibious assault ship at port in San Diego.
The first U.S. military service member, a New Jersey Army National Guardsman, died on Saturday from COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, the Pentagon said on Monday.
As of Tuesday, 673 active duty service members had tested positive for the coronavirus, an increase of more than 100 from the previous day, the Pentagon noted in a statement.
According to a tally by Johns Hopkins University, the total number of deaths from the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States passed 4,000 early Wednesday.
Earlier on Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump warned that Americans should be "prepared for the hard days that lie ahead," given the battle against the coronavirus.
(Cover: U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper walks out to welcome Britain's Secretary of State for Defence Ben Wallace before their meeting at Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, U.S., March 5, 2020. /Reuters)
(With input from Reuters)