Both U.S. Aircraft Carriers In The Pacific Are Taken Out Of Action By The Covid-19 Coronavius For Maybe Up To A Month

The aircraft carriers Ronald Reagan, Theodore Roosevelt and Nimitz and their strike groups underway in the western Pacific in 2017. Defense Secretary James Mattis wants to see this kind of thing more often, but to do it could fundamentally change the Navy. (James Griffin/Navy

Daily Mail: Both US aircraft carriers in the Pacific are taken out of action by coronavius for up to a MONTH - giving China an almost free hand in the region

* USS Theodore Roosevelt and USS Ronald Reagan are the only two US aircraft carriers in the Pacific; both have sailors who have tested positive to COVID-19
* The diagnoses have prompted USS Theodore Roosevelt to port in Guam, where it could be held for at least a month
* USS Ronald Reagan is currently in port in Tokyo, Japan, and it is unclear whether all of its crew will now be quarantined
* China now appears to have a free hand in the Pacific - alarming news given heightened tensions between Beijing and Washington
* The two superpowers have traded barbs over the origins of COVID-19, and China accused the US of 'playing a dangerous game' by sailing a destroyer near Taiwan

Sailors on board both US aircraft carriers in the Pacific have tested positive to coronavirus, sparking fears the Navy could become crippled in the region.

At least 25 sailors aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, forcing the warship to port in Guam to test all 5,000 on board.

The carrier was in the midst of a deployment to the Philippine and South China Seas when the COVID-19 diagnoses prompted the Navy to order it to cease sail Thursday.

On Friday, the US was dealt another blow following confirmation that two sailors from the USS Ronald Reagan - currently in port in Japan - had also tested positive to the highly-contagious virus.

Read more ....

Update #1: More than 30 coronavirus cases on Pacific aircraft carrier, new ones discovered on another carrier in Japan: officials (FOX News)
Update #2: Now Both Aircraft Carriers In The Western Pacific Have COVID-19 Cases, Raising Readiness Concerns (Wazone/The Drive)

WNU Editor: I would not be surprised if a good portion of the  US Navy will be under quarantine and/or at port in the coming weeks.

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