Coronavirus: Guam worried by flood of sailors from US Navy ship hit by Covid-19
- Hundreds of crew members evacuated to island after outbreak on aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt prompted desperate plea from captain
- Navy plunged intro leadership crisis after chief fires ship’s commander, then resigns over ensuing backlash
People in Guam are used to a constant US military presence on the strategic Pacific island, but some are nervous as hundreds of sailors from a coronavirus-stricken Navy aircraft carrier flood into hotels for quarantine. Officials insist they have enforced strict safety measures.
An outbreak aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt began in late March and has thrust the Navy into a leadership crisis after the ship’s commander distributed a letter urging faster action to protect his sailors.
Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly fired Captain Brett E. Crozier and then assailed him during a speech on the ship in Guam, saying Crozier was either “too naive or too stupid” to be in charge of an aircraft carrier. Modly resigned on Tuesday after facing blowback and after publicly apologising for his comments about Crozier.
The carrier has been docked in the US territory for more than a week as the 4,865-person crew is tested for the virus and moved ashore. More than 580 sailors have been confirmed infected. One was hospitalised Thursday in intensive care, said General John Hyten, vice-chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
More than 1,700 sailors who have tested negative are isolating in hotels, while the sick remain on base, Navy officials said.
