U.S. on Wednesday said its aircraft carrier, which was hit with an outbreak of the novel coronavirus was being prepared to return to sea after spending weeks anchored at a base in Guam.
The USS Theodore Roosevelt has been cleaned and sailors will soon begin to go back on board, in waves, over the coming days.
According to the U.S.Navy, to return to the ship, the 4,000 sailors must have completed their period of quarantine or isolation, and tested negative twice.
Meanwhile, at least 700 sailors had remained on the ship to perform critical duties, and would now leave and be sent into quarantine.
Earlier, out of the sailors of the crew on board, 969 tested positive for the virus.
However, the ship’s commanding officer was controversially removed from his post after he issued a plea to superiors to evacuate his crew, warning that they would die if there was no intervention.
The acting secretary of the Navy later resigned amid the subsequent public upset over the issue, and after he verbally disparaged the captain.
The Pentagon is still reviewing the case of the commander. (dpa/NAN)