US Navy captain says carrier faces dire coronavirus threat: reports

The captain of the US aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt told the Pentagon that the coronavirus is spreading uncontrollably through his ship and called for immediate help to quarantine its huge crew, two US newspapers reported Tuesday.

Captain Brett Crozier wrote in a four-page letter that they had not been able to stem the spread of the COVID-9 virus through the 4,000 crewmembers, describing a dire situation aboard the huge vessel now docked at Guam.

"We are not at war. Sailors do not need to die," Crozier wrote, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

"The spread of the disease is ongoing and accelerating," Crozier wrote, referring to the ship's "inherent limitations of space."
He asked to be able to quarantine nearly the entire crew onshore at Guam, saying keeping them all on board the ship was an "unnecessary risk."
"Navy leadership is moving quickly to take all necessary measures to ensure the health and safety of the crew of USS Theodore Roosevelt, and is pursuing options to address the concerns raised by the commanding officer."