Japan-Based Carrier USS Ronald Reagan is Underway as SECDEF Warns of Chinese Military Moves in South China Sea
By: Sam LaGrone
May 6, 2020 1:23 PM
The U.S. aircraft carrier forward deployed to Japan is back at sea for trials after its annual repair period and ahead of its spring patrol in the Western Pacific, USNI News has learned.
USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) left on Monday from its berth in Yokosuka following an extended quarantine period for the crew of the carrier, as well as its escorts, as part of the Navy’s attempts to keep the COVID-19 virus off of the carrier, service officials confirmed to USNI News earlier this week.
Like the West Coast Nimitz Carrier Strike Group, Task Force 70 ordered the crew into a restriction of movement (ROM) period in Japan ahead of the sea trials. At the conclusion of the ROM period, U.S. 7th Fleet discovered several asymptomatic positive COVID-19 sailors in the quarantined crew and kept them off the carrier. The Navy did not disclose the number of cases, but The New York Times reported there have been at least 16 positive cases from sailors assigned to Reagan.
https://news.usni.org/2020/05/06/japan-based-carrier-uss-ronald-reagan-is-underway-as-secdef-warns-of-chinese-military-moves-in-south-china-sea
