South Korea to Urgently Airlift Sailors with Covid-19

South Korea is gearing up to deploy a lift to carry away some 300 military personnel from one of the country’s destroyers, following the detection of COVID-19 on the vessel. Upon its completion of a six-month anti-piracy campaign in the Middle East, the destroyer Munmu the Great was reaching the end of its cruise when the outbreak of the virus began.

After making a port visit in an undisclosed Middle Eastern country, the virus was apparently found on board the destroyer. A Chief of Staff of South Korea spokesperson said that one of the ship’s officers felt sick and was taken to a hospital for treatment. The officer appears to be getting well, although the vessel went through tests afterward. According to officials, roughly 80 in the 300 individuals onboard are displaying symptoms, and six of those individuals are believed to have come in close contact with the officer. Most of the sailors are said to have symptoms which are minimal, but five require more medical attention.

In an announcement made on July 15, the Ministry of Health said that a medical team and supplies have been dispatched to the ship. According to President Moon Jae-in, South Korea’s aerial tankers were called in to ensure that they were prepared to transport home infected servicemen if necessary.

The military spokeswoman commented that they had begun to transport the whole crew of the ship back to their base. The military personnel who have shown symptoms of the disease are being isolated and safeguards are being taken, but because a destroyer is a closed environment for the crew for the duration of a deployment, this increases the risk of the disease spreading.