US Navy sailor in Naples 1st confirmed coronavirus case among American servicemen in Europe

7 Mar, 2020 15:00 / Updated 4 years ago

A US Navy sailor currently deployed in Naples, Italy has tested positive for the Covid-19 infection. Earlier, another US military service member was confirmed to have the disease in South Korea.

The Pentagon confirmed that a US sailor has been infected with the deadly disease in a statement on Saturday.

"The member is currently restricted to their residence, receiving supportive and medical care in accordance with the Centers for Disease Control," the Pentagon's European Command said.

"Military health professionals are conducting a thorough contact investigation to determine whether any other personnel may have been exposed," it added.

Italy and South Korea are two of the nations most seriously affected by the epidemic outside of the virus' origin, China. The US earlier banned warships on foreign deployments from returning home, unless they spend at least 14 days en route to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

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