Fired for raising coronavirus alarm, US Navy captain Brett Crozier tests positive, report says
- Defence chief Mark Esper defends controversial decision to remove commander of aircraft carrier hit by Covid-19
- Crozier had written scathing letter urging Navy to do more to halt spread of virus on his ship, where 155 infections have been reported so far
US Defence Secretary Mark Esper defended the Navy’s controversial decision to remove the commander of a coronavirus-stricken aircraft carrier, who was reported on Sunday to have tested positive for Covid-19 as the number of its sailors with the highly contagious disease also grew.
Captain Brett Crozier started showing symptoms of the virus before he was relieved of his command of the Theodore Roosevelt on Thursday and has tested positive, The New York Times said, citing two Naval Academy classmates who are close to Crozier.
The Navy did not immediately respond to a request for comment but does not usually discuss individual cases due to privacy laws. The Pentagon also did not immediately respond.
Acting US Navy Secretary Thomas Modly removed Crozier after a scathing letter written by the commander urging the Navy to do more to halt the spread of the potentially lethal virus aboard the nuclear-powered carrier was leaked to the media.
The move sparked intense backlash as videos posted on social media showed sailors aboard the vessel cheering Crozier as he departed and an online petition called for his reinstatement.
It has also become a political lightning-rod as the Trump administration faces intense criticism for its handling of the nation’s coronavirus outbreak. Esper, in his first public comments on the issue, said on Sunday that he backed the dismissal.