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Sailors show COVID-19 signs on French navy ship

French nuclear-powered vessel abandons military exercises after sailors report symptoms of COVID-19

Cindi Cook  | 08.04.2020 - Update : 09.04.2020
Sailors show COVID-19 signs on French navy ship


PARIS  

As many as 40 sailors on board the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier -- the flagship of the French Navy -- have shown symptoms of COVID-19 or coronavirus, forcing the ship to return to the port.

An official statement issued by the Ministry of the Armed Forces said that the Navy is closely monitoring the sailors' health for any changes or progressions.

“The shipmen are currently in isolation and the carrier is fully medically equipped to monitor their health, including a staff of 20 doctors, nurses, and surgeons, “the statement added.

The ship has all the medical facilities, including a dozen hospital beds, respirators, and a unit to confine patients that houses 100 beds.
The carrier, a nuclear-powered vessel is returning to Toulon, a port city on southern France’s Mediterranean coast. Earlier it was scheduled to dock on April 23.

The carrier was taking part in Operation Chammal since January, the French component of the U.S.-led anti-IS/Daesh mission in the Middle East.
According to John Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Centre France has so far reported 109,069 COVID-19 cases with 10,328 deaths. A total of 57,021 people remain in the hospital with 7,131 of those in intensive care.

The world has reported 1.44 million cases so far with 83,424 deaths, according to the data. As many as 307,982 people have also recovered from the infection.

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