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USS Theodore Roosevelt sidelined by coronavirus heads back to sea this week

Posted at 4:55 AM, May 19, 2020
and last updated 2020-05-19 05:30:54-04

WASHINGTON - U.S. officials say the USS Theodore Roosevelt will return to sea later this week, nearly two months after the ship was sidelined in Guam with a rapidly growing coronavirus outbreak.

Most of the crew were sent ashore for quarantine last month and the ship underwent multiple cleanings daily.

Navy Capt. Carlos Sardiello tells The Associated Press the ship will set sail with a scaled-back crew of about 3,000, leaving about 1,800 sailors on shore who are still in quarantine.

Those include up to 14 sailors who recently tested positive again, just days after getting cleared to return to the carrier.

The puzzling COVID-19 reappearance in the sailors fuels questions about the quality of the testing, and just how long sailors may remain infected or contagious.

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