NOT SHIPSHAPE

Joint Chiefs Confirm COVID-19 Cases on Aircraft Carrier USS Nimitz

Vice chairman said there are a “very small” number of cases on the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier that is getting ready to deploy.

Air Force Gen. John Hyten, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has confirmed there are a “very small” number of coronavirus cases aboard the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz as it prepares to sent the ship to sea, according to McClatchy. The Navy Times reports that one sailor tested positive for the virus last week and Nimitz medical staff have since removed the service member from the ship and isolated them. The Washington state-based ship, which holds about 4,800 personnel, is set for a summer deployment to the Pacific. The Washington Post reports the nuclear-powered supercarrier has been allowing sailors to embark without testing them for the deadly virus. Rather, the ship is only relying temperature checks and screenings that include asking some sailors if they felt ill. The confirmation would be the fourth U.S. aircraft carrier to report cases, including the USS Theodore Roosevelt, which now has more than 400 sailors that have tested positive for COVID-19 and was the center of the political firestorm that ended with the acting Navy secretary resigning.