U.S. Navy School Closed After Third COVID-19 Case

Training Support Command San Diego closed on March 14 after a third Sailor tested positive for Coronavirus (COVID-19).

On March 14, a Sailor from USS Essex (LHD 2) tested positive after attending a course at Naval Base San Diego since February 6, 2020. The schoolhouse where the training occurred will remain closed until further notice. 

The two additional cases, announced on March 15 and March 13, remain in isolation. Military health professionals are conducting a contact investigation to determine whether any other personnel may have been in close contact and possibly exposed. 

Other U.S. Navy cases include two Sailors stationed at Naval Support Activity Naples, Capodichino, Italy, and on March 13, a Sailor assigned to the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer (LHD 4) tested presumptive positive, marking the first case for a Sailor aboard a Navy ship. 

 A Sailor assigned to the guided-missile destroyer USS Ralph Johnson (DDG 114) tested positive on March 16. USS Ralph Johnson is homeported in Everett, Washington. U.S. Navy ships conduct routine, daily cleanliness procedures geared toward health, wellness and the prevention of communicable disease spread. Given this case, USS Ralph Johnson is conducting extensive cleaning to mitigate further spread to the crew.

On March 13, Deputy Secretary of Defense David L. Norquist halted all domestic travel including permanent change of station and temporary duty for service members, DoD civilians, and their families assigned to DoD installations, facilities and surrounding areas within the U.S. and its territories.