The U.S. Navy on Friday recommended to Defense Secretary Mark Esper the reinstatement of Captain Brett Crozier's command of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt that has been hit by the coronavirus outbreak.

Following a week-long investigation, the Navy concluded that Crozier, who was fired earlier this month after sounding the alarms of a growing coronavirus outbreak aboard the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, should be reinstated as the warship's commander, said local media reports.

According to a statement issued by the Navy later Friday, the recommendation has been presented to the Defense Secretary and is under "continued discussions" with Esper. "No final decisions have been made," the statement added.

Esper told the Navy on Friday that he had more questions about the investigation and could not yet make a decision, two defense officials were quoted as saying.

A press conference on the announcement of the recommendation was canceled Friday afternoon after Esper did not immediately endorse it, but the minister is expected to accept the recommendation, according to the officials.

Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman echoed the claim, saying that Esper likely would back the Navy's conclusion and that he trusted the Navy's judgment.

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The Navy opened the investigation on April 1, two days after Crozier wrote a memo pleading for a faster and more thorough response to the growing outbreak on the Theodore Roosevelt diverted to port in Guam.

On April 2, Crozier was relieved of command by then-Navy Secretary Thomas Modly who resigned the following week after calling Crozier "too naive or too stupid" while addressing the aircraft carrier's crew.

At the time when Crozier wrote the memo, about 70 crew members had tested positive for COVID-19. The Navy now has tested all crew members aboard the warship. Of them, 840 have tested positive, 4,098 negative, and one sailor died from the virus.

(Cover image: USS Theodore Roosevelt, July 15, 2005. /AP)

(With input from Xinhua)