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The ship has been in the port of Hawaii, so the operational impact is limited due to the outbreak.
An official said the majority of sailors who contracted the virus have not shown any symptoms and many are expected to return to the ship in the coming days.
A US Navy spokesperson confirmed that “personnel assigned to USS Michael Murphy tested positive for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on November 4,” but did not provide the number of sailors who contracted the disease, citing Department of Defense policy.
“Staff members who tested positive for COVID-19 have been placed in isolation. As a precaution, all close contacts and non-essential crew members undergo a two-week self-isolation period in accordance with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Guidelines, “Cmdr. Nicole Schwegman, Surface Forces spokesperson Pacific, told CNN in an email.
News of the outbreak on the Navy warship comes the day after the U.S. Coast Guard announced that one of its ships, Coast Guard Stratton, was forced to return to port after 11 of its crew members have tested positive for the virus.
The Coast Guard ship had participated in counter-narcotics patrols in the eastern Mediterranean before being forced to return to its home port in Alameda, California.
“Affected crew members have reported mild symptoms and are receiving medical attention,” the Coast Guard said in a statement.
The outbreak on Theodore Roosevelt resulted in the death of a sailor and a series of events that culminated in the dismissal of the ship’s commander and the resignation of the Acting Secretary of the Navy for their handling of the crisis.
There are currently around 25,000 active cases of Covid-19 in the ranks, and 44,390 other members of the service have recovered from the virus, according to the Pentagon. The number of military cases has increased in recent weeks as the number of cases has increased in the general population.
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