93 sailors have coronavirus on carrier, Navy will remove 2,700 sailors from ship

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ABC News(NEW YORK) — The number of positive tests for the novel coronavirus aboard the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt has now risen to 93, according to acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly, who added that the goal now is to move another 2,700 members of the ship’s crew of 5,000 ashore to Guam.

Testing of the ship’s crew continues as it is berthed in Guam, Modly said at a Pentagon news conference Wednesday. So far, 500 coronavirus tests have come back negative.

Modly said that about 1,000 sailors have been taken off the ship and that approximately 2,700 will eventually be taken off the ship in coming days.

He also said there are no plans to take all of the crewmembers off the ship as a number of them must remain aboard to deal with essentials like running the nuclear reactor and ensuring the safety of the weapons aboard.

Adm. Mike Gilday, the chief of naval operations, told reporters that about 1,000 sailors need to remain aboard the carrier to ensure those functions.

Modly emphasized that if the ship needs to head to sea for an emergency it still can do so — one reason why some crewmen will remain aboard.

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