French Carrier Charles de Gaulle Heading Home Amid Suspicion of Covid-19

About forty sailors may be infected with Covid-19, according to a French Ministry of the Armed Forces press release issued this morning:

On board the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle currently deployed in the Atlantic as part of the mission Foch, around forty sailors are today under close medical observation. They are showing symptoms consistent with possible Covid-19 infection. These first symptoms have appeared recently.

The aircraft carrier, currently deployed on “Mission Foch” since January, is sailing in the Atlantic Ocean and was already on its way back to the Mediterranean. Charles de Gaulle‘s home port is Toulon Naval Base in Southern France.

The French Navy decided to anticipate the return of the aircraft carrier to Toulon, originally scheduled for April 23. A screening team with test equipment will be dispatched to the aircraft carrier today. They will investigate the cases and prevent the spread of the virus on board the ship.

Sailors showing the symptoms are placed in isolated confinement, as a precaution vis-à-vis the rest of the crew. No worsening was seen in these patients. Everything is currently being done to ensure the safety of crew members.

Charles de Gaulle has robust capabilities to support and monitor the progress of the situation:

• 1 medical platform with a medical team consisting of about twenty caregivers (doctors, nurses, surgeons);
• Dedicated facilities: 1 hospital room with a dozen beds, respirators, 1 scanner; as well as a containment space with a capacity of about one hundred places to isolate and monitor patients;
• Means of evacuation via helicopters, one short notice, to a hospital on land (if needed).

The organization on board the carrier has been adapted to continue the mission while ensuring the health of sailors. Precautionary measures have also been strengthened and continue to be strictly enforced:

• The sailors of the aircraft carrier clean the common areas twice a day, paying particular attention to the disinfection of ramps / handles / taps and by disinfecting shared workstations, telephones and computers after each use;
• The number of meetings and participants has been reduced, gatherings in certain living spaces have been limited.
• Masks are distributed as a preventive measure to all personnel who may show symptoms (cough in particular). These personnel are monitored twice a day by medical personnel;

Charles de Gaulle’s crew complement consists in about 2000 sailors.

Update 1:

At least one case of COVID-19 contamination was reported in March aboard Belgian Navy frigate Léopold 1er during its deployment with the French carrier strike group. The vessel has since returned to its home port of Zeebrugge.

U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt has reported an outbreak in late March, which led to the controversial sacking of its commanding officer, followed by the resignation of the U.S. acting secretary of the Navy yesterday.

Cases among Russian submarines crews have been reported as well.

Update 2:

50 cases of COVID-19 among Charles de Gaulle‘s crew members have been confirmed on April 10, 2020.