British navy’s flagship hit with Covid-19 outbreak en route to Asia

The HMS Queen Elizabeth is leading nine ships on a 42,000-mile deployment across the Mediterranean, the Indian Ocean and East Asia

Almost half the warships in its strike group have reportedly been hit by positive cases – but officials say it hasn’t prompted a rethink of the 40-country tour

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A crew member wearing a face mask walks on the deck of HMS Queen Elizabeth while it was moored at the port of Limassol in Cyprus. Photo: Reuters

Published: 10:45pm, 14 Jul 2021Updated: 9:49am, 15 Jul 2021

The Royal Navy’s flagship, HMS Queen Elizabeth, is managing a Covid-19 outbreak after more than 100 crew were infected during a port call in Cyprus earlier this month, officials said on Wednesday.

The first cases were identified on or around July 4 when the state-of-the-art aircraft carrier was docked at Limassol port on the island’s south coast.

Britain’s largest warship docked in Limassol from June 30 until July 5, spearheading the country’s largest peacetime deployment in a generation, Carrier Strike Group 21.

Vessels of the UK Carrier Strike Group sail behind the HMS Queen Elizabeth through Egypt's Suez Canal earlier this month. Photo: AFP/Royal Navy/Crown Copyright

“As part of routine testing, a small number of crew from the Carrier Strike Group have tested positive for Covid-19,” the Royal Navy said in a statement.

“All personnel deployed have received both doses of the Covid vaccine, and there are a number of mitigation measures on board, including masks, social distancing, and a track and trace system.