PARIS — France’s defense ministry announces that French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle is heading back to port amid a possible virus outbreak onboard.
The ministry says in a statement today that around 40 troops are presenting symptoms compatible with the COVID-19 disease. They have been placed under strict medical observation.
A medical team equipped with tests will get onboard in order to confirm the potential cases and prevent the virus from further spreading, the ministry says.
The aircraft carrier, which was on a mission in the Atlantic Ocean, is returning immediately to its base in the port of Toulon, on the Mediterranean coast, where it was initially expected to dock on April 23. Its crew is composed of about 1,900 troops.
The announcement comes after a coronavirus outbreak hit US aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, now at port in Guam. As of yesterday, the US Navy said at least 230 crew had been tested positive. The firing last week of the Roosevelt’s captain created a combustible controversy in the country.
— AP
An aerial view of the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier off the coast of Toulon, southern France, November 14, 2018. (Christophe Simon/ Pool photo via AP, File)
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