Monday, 20 April 2020

Coronavirus: 668 infected on French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle


A third of the sailors serving with France's aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle - 668 out of nearly 2,000 - are infected with coronavirus. Nearly all are on the carrier itself, the navy says. An escorting frigate and carrier pilots are also in quarantine. The carrier returned to the French port of Toulon early from Atlantic exercises. Twenty sailors are in hospital, one in intensive care.
The infection total looks set to rise, as 30% of test results are not yet in.



The navy is investigating how so many sailors caught the virus. Last week the aircraft carrier was brought home 10 days early from its Atlantic deployment after some sailors showed symptoms.
Earlier this month nearly 600 coronavirus cases were confirmed aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt, one of two US aircraft carriers in the western Pacific.
One sailor later died of Covid-19 in Guam, after the ship - which has a total crew of 4,800 - had docked there.
The ship's captain Brett Crozier was fired after his letter pleading for help with the outbreak was leaked to US media. A public outcry over that dismissal triggered the resignation of acting Navy secretary Thomas Modly.
Meanwhile, a Dutch navy submarine, MS Dolfijn, has returned to its Den Helder base two weeks early because of a coronavirus outbreak on board.
Eight of the 58 crew tested positive and the submarine, which had been sailing near Scotland, is now in quarantine.

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