‘Ineffective social distancing led to Covid outbreak on US aircraft carrier’

Washington, Feb 9 : A Pentagon watchdog has found that ineffective implementation of social distancing and the premature release of sailors from quarantine were the primary causes of the massive Covid-19 outbreak onboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier last year.
The Navy had appropriate plans in place to counter a potential outbreak of an infectious disease, but the leadership of the aircraft carrier did not fully implement the required measures, the Defence Department’s Inspector General said in a report released on Monday.
The vessel’s leadership also “allowed social gathering areas to remain open” and continued to conduct urine tests for illegal drugs despite the threat posed by Covid-19 and procedures outlined by the Navy, the report said.
The Roosevelt had just completed a port call in Da Nang, Vietnam, when it reported its first Covid-19 case on March 24, 2020.
At least 1,271 sailors of the 4,800-member crew aboard the aircraft carrier were infected with the virus last spring.
One crew member died.