The US Navy is evacuating thousands of sailors from the USS Theodore Roosevelt's nuclear-powered aircraft carrier in Guam, in the western Pacific, after its captain warns that an outbreak of the Corona virus on board is threatening the life of the crew.

According to the US Navy, so far 93 outbreaks of the newly formed Corona virus (Covid-19) have been recorded among the approximately 4,800 aircraft carrier crew.

Pentagon officials said yesterday, Wednesday, that they were quickly preparing hotel rooms on an island in the Pacific Ocean to receive many people, while preparing a crew of uninfected sailors to keep the ship running.

"The plan at this time is to evacuate as many people as possible from aboard Teddy Roosevelt, knowing that we must leave a certain number of people on board to perform the normal observation duties that remain," Admiral John Menoni, Marianas district commander, told reporters on Guam Island on Wednesday. The ship is running. "

For his part, Acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Mudley said in Washington that nearly 1,000 crew members have been evacuated, indicating that this number will rise to 2,700 within two days, and more later.

But there is a need to keep about 1,000 people on board the aircraft carrier to continue operating while undergoing complete sterilization.

"We cannot, and we will not completely clear the ship," said Modley.

"This ship has expensive weapons, ammunition and aircraft on board, and it has a nuclear power plant," he added.

Sailors do not have to die

Earlier this week, the captain informed the Pentagon that the new Corona virus was spreading in an uncontrollable manner on board his ship, calling for immediate assistance to isolate his crew.

The captain of the aircraft carrier, Brett Crozier, warned his bosses, "The spread of the disease is continuing and accelerating."

He appealed to them, "We are not at war. Sailors need not die."

"The evacuation of most of the crew from an American nuclear aircraft carrier deployed in the ocean and their isolation for two weeks may seem an exceptional measure," he said. "It is a necessary risk."

Balancing health and security

With the "Roosevelt" entering the port of Guam on March 28, after the aircraft carrier "USS Ronald Reagan" which also docked in Japan after the emergence of coronavirus infections on board, all Pentagon aircraft carriers in the western Pacific Ocean anchored.

The Acting US Secretary of the Navy, Thomas Modley, admitted, on Tuesday, that it represents a challenge to the readiness of US forces.

"Now Teddy Roosevelt is the front-line scene in this new battle," he said, but he added, "If the ship needs to go, if there is a crisis, the ship can go."

Moodley confirmed that Roosevelt was the only ship of the US Navy, out of 94 deployed at sea, to have new Coronavirus cases.

He added that there are a few sporadic cases in ships that have not been published, but in most ships there are odd numbers.

For his part, Defense Secretary Mark Esber said that while the US military follows directions on social separation and public health, the Roosevelt crisis and the spread of the broader epidemic do not undermine the capabilities of the US military in war.

"There appears to be a narration that we must close the entire US military and tackle the problem in this way. This is not possible," Esper said at the White House.

"We have a mission: Our mission is to protect the United States of America and our people. So we live and work in tight spaces, whether it is an aircraft carrier, a submarine, a tank, or a grenade launcher - it's the nature of our work," he added.

For his part, the Governor of Guam-le-Leon Guerrero said that military officials assured her that all sailors who have set foot on the island will have negative results for the virus.

She acknowledged that some residents were concerned about allowing sailors to enter Guam, where 77 confirmed cases of the virus had been recorded, including three deaths, but said there was a "moral obligation" to help those in need.

"We ask them to go out and sacrifice their lives in order to protect us. They are asking us to help them overcome this terrible virus."