Crew offloaded from USS Roosevelt as virus spreads

The acting secretary of the U.S. Navy confirmed that 1,000 members of the USS Theodore Roosevelt had been removed from the aircraft carrier, docked in Guam, amid a coronavirus outbreak and that "in the next couple of days we expect to have about 2,700 of them off the ship."

Acting Secretary Thomas Modly was briefing reporters about the health of the crew aboard the US Navy aircraft after its captain asked for permission to isolate the bulk of his roughly 5,000 crew members on shore.

"Our plan has always been to remove as much of the crew as we can while maintaining for the ship's safety," Modly said. "It's important to understand that just because it's big and it floats and it has a lot of people on it, the comparison of the TR (USS Teddy Roosevelt) to a cruise ship pretty much ends there."

Modly said currently there were 93 positive tests for coronavirus among the crew, with about 24% already being tested.

In a memo to Navy leaders, the captain of the USS Theodore Roosevelt said that the spread of the disease is ongoing and accelerating and that removing all but 10% of the crew is a "necessary risk" in order to stop the spread of the virus.

"We are not at war. Sailors do not need to die. If we do not act now, we are failing to properly take care of our most trusted asset our sailors," said Navy Capt. Brett Crozier in a memo obtained by The Associated Press.

Officials are working with the government of Guam to try to get hotel rooms that will allow for greater isolation of affected crew members.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough, that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death.