The US Navy aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt departed Guam's Apra Harbor on Thursday, June 4, to continue its scheduled deployment to the US Seventh Fleet area of operations in the Indo-Pacific region.
The carrier arrived in Guam earlier in March after eight of its crew tested positive for Covid-19.
The arrival was part of a phased and methodical approach to address the outbreak of the disease.
Over 1,100 of the carrier's nearly 5,000-strong crew eventually became infected. One of the sailors, a chief petty officer, succumbed to the virus while undergoing treatment at a shore hospital.
Theodore Roosevelt is presently in the Philippine Sea. The only crew on board are those who have been given medical clearance to re-embark.
While underway, the carrier will operate under a newly implemented standard operating procedure which establishes the guidelines, responsibilities, and procedures for the prevention and mitigation of the disease.
The crew has modified numerous procedures including how they transit through the ship, expanded meal hours, and created new social distancing procedures for almost every at-sea evolution.
