U.S. Defense Secretary Says Sailors Aboard Coronavirus Stricken Aircraft Carrier Are Not 'Seriously Ill'

Business Insider: Top US official says it's not time to evacuate aircraft carrier dealing with coronavirus — even after its commander pleaded for urgent help

* Defense Secretary Mark Esper said the US Navy was not yet "at that point" where it ought to evacuate crew members of an aircraft carrier reportedly with a growing number of coronavirus cases.
* On Tuesday, the San Francisco Chronicle reported that the commander of an aircraft carrier wrote a four-page letter warning that the "spread of the disease is ongoing and accelerating."
* Esper, who claimed he had "not had a chance to read that letter ... in detail," said that none of the sailors were "seriously ill."

Defense Secretary Mark Esper said the United States Navy was not yet "at that point" where it ought to evacuate crew members of an aircraft carrier reportedly coping with over a hundred cases of the novel coronavirus.

"We are moving a lot of supplies and assistance ... out of the carrier in Guam," Esper said during an interview with "CBS Evening News" on Tuesday, referring to the USS Theodore Roosevelt and its crew of over 4,000 US service members.

On Tuesday, the San Francisco Chronicle reported that the commander of the ship, US Navy Capt. Brett Crozier, wrote a four-page letter to the Department of the Navy warning that the "spread of the disease is ongoing and accelerating."

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WNU Editor: In a crisis like the one that we are all going through the optics from the leadership on how they are handling it is important. In this case, after admitting that he had not even read the letter from the Captain of the USS Theodore Roosevelt while saying that the sailors were not seriously sick, U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper is failing miserably.

More News On U.S. Defense Secretary Remarks On The Sailors Aboard Coronavirus Stricken Aircraft Carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt

Esper Says He Hasn't Read Captain's Plea From Coronavirus-Stricken Carrier, Dismisses Evacuation Request -- Newsweek
Defense Secretary Says He Hasn't Even Read Letter From Carrier Captain Pleading To Evacuate Crew -- Warzone/The Drive
Mark Esper Admits He Hasn’t ‘Had A Chance’ To Read Desperate Plea From Captain Of Aircraft Carrier Filled With Sick Sailors -- Daily Caller
Stick to the ‘chain of command’! Pentagon rejects aircraft carrier captain’s plea to save crew as 100+ sailors contract Covid-19 -- RT

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