General says coronavirus may affect more Navy ships
Associated PressWASHINGTON — Pentagon leaders anticipate that the coronavirus may strike more Navy ships at sea after an outbreak aboard an aircraft carrier in the Pacific infected more than 400 sailors, a top general said Thursday. “We have too many ships at sea.. To think that it will never happen again is not a good way to plan.” The Navy’s top officer, meanwhile, said the biggest problem is the inability to test enough people quickly, including those aboard the USS Nimitz, the next U.S.-based aircraft carrier due to deploy out to sea. Hyten suggested a small number of sailors were ill, but the Navy said Thursday that no sailors currently on the carrier have tested positive for COVID-19 or are showing symptoms. “We’re adjusting to that new world as we speak today.” The outbreak aboard the Roosevelt began in late March and has thrust the Navy into a leadership crisis.