Navy sailors onboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt are using T-shirts as homemade masks while cleaning the ship following a coronavirus outbreak that infected over two hundred sailors.
Although around 2,000 of the almost 5,000 sailors on the ship have been moved ashore, several thousand remain onboard the ship, some of whom have been ordered to maintain and disinfect the carrier despite lacking even minimal personal protective equipment, multiple family members of sailors onboard the ship told the San Francisco Chronicle.
“Their jobs can put them in harm’s way at times, but they understand and prepare for those situations. This has been different,” said one family member of a sailor, who spoke under the condition of anonymity to protect against reprisals against the ship’s crew.
Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said last week in a memo to military departments that although the Pentagon has mandated that all military members follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines on the coronavirus, the DoD will not issue protective gear.
“As an interim measure, all individuals are encouraged to fashion face coverings from household items or common materials, such as clean T-shirts or other clean cloths that can cover the nose and mouth area,” Esper said. “Medical personal protective equipment such as N95 respirators or surgical masks will not be issued for this purpose as these will be reserved for the appropriate personnel.”
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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