More Than 1,000 French Sailors Test Positive For Coronavirus—On A Single Ship

TOPLINE

More than 1,000 French navy sailors on France’s largest carrier—nearly half of those onboard—have tested positive for coronavirus so far, mirroring a similar cluster last month on American vessel the USS Theodore Roosevelt.

KEY FACTS

KEY BACKGROUND

France is among the countries hit hardest by the coronavirus pandemic, with nearly 150,000 total cases and nearly 19,000 fatalities reported on Friday afternoon by Johns Hopkins University. The coronavirus cluster onboard the Charles de Gaulle has drawn comparisons to the outbreak on the USS Theodore Roosevelt that led to the acting Navy secretary’s resignation after he called Brett Crozier, the captain of the ship, “stupid” and removed him from command. Crozier had been relieved from command of the ship after he wrote a letter expressing his dismay at the Navy’s handling of the coronavirus situation aboard the ship that went on to be obtained and published by The San Francisco Chronicle. In an unprecedented move, the Navy this week announced they were looking into having Crozier reinstated. A Navy sailor who served aboard the Roosevelt died from coronavirus complications Monday.

FURTHER READING

France finds more than 1,000 Covid-19 cases on flagship aircraft carrier (France 24)

More than 1,000 French sailors from the Charles de Gaulle carrier group have tested positive. So far. (New York Times
NYT
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Coronavirus Spreads On U.S. Navy Ship In Pacific Ocean (Forbes)

Navy Secretary Who Called Captain Of Coronavirus-Infected Ship ‘Stupid’ Resigns (Forbes)

Navy Sailor Who Served On USS Roosevelt Dies From COVID-19 (Forbes)

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