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Tags: sailor | navy | testing | positive | community spread

Sailor on US Navy Ship First to Test Positive for Coronavirus

a vile of blood marked coronavirus
(Ban Goland/Dreamstime)

By    |   Tuesday, 17 March 2020 03:42 PM EDT

A sailor assigned to a U.S. Navy ship has received a "presumptive positive" on a test for the coronavirus, the first case for a sailor on a Navy ship, the service announced last week.

A sailor on the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer has been quarantined at home, according to guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Personnel who the sailor identified as having had close contact with have been informed and self-isolated at home. The ship will be given a "thorough cleaning in accordance with specific guidance from the CDC and Navy-Marine Corps Public Health Center."

The statement also notes "U.S. Navy ships conduct routine, daily cleanliness procedures geared toward health, wellness and the prevention of communicable disease spread."

It continued, "Military health professionals are conducting a thorough contact investigation to determine whether any additional personnel were in close contact and possibly exposed. Depending on the results of that investigation, additional mitigations may be taken. Commander, Naval Surface Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet is committed to taking every measure possible to protect the health of our force. We remain in close coordination with state and federal authorities, and public health authorities to ensure the well-being of our personnel and local population."

The Department of Defense last Friday ordered all service members and civilian personnel to suspend travel, and limited them to the immediate area around their individual commands.

Theodore Bunker

Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.

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A sailor assigned to a U.S. Navy ship has received a "presumptive positive" on a test for the coronavirus, the first case for a sailor on a Navy ship, the service announced last week.
sailor, navy, testing, positive, community spread
231
2020-42-17
Tuesday, 17 March 2020 03:42 PM
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