The U.S. Navy confirms its plans to quarantine thousands of sailors from the USS Theodore Roosevelt at Tumon hotels. The plan, made in coordination with the Governor's Office, is meant to hold-off the growing spread of COVID-19 among the crew.

Joint Region Marianas Commander Rear Admiral John Menoni appeared at the governor's press briefing today and answered questions about the Theodore Roosevelt evacuation. Admiral Menoni confirmed that the ship evacuees will be housed both on base and in Tumon, though he couldn't say when the transfer to hotels will begin, nor how many sailors will be moved at a time.

"We're developing that plan right now, but it’s going to be in manageable groups and they'll be transported and controlled by military personnel only," he did say.

He says a strict no contact policy will be enforced by a contingent of local sailors and US Marines, who will act as a buffer between quarantined sailors and hotel staff.  "So the staff will be working in the background running the hotel. Any interactions with any sailors housed in these hotels will be appropriate and in accordance with CDC guidelines but it will be military to military and not military sailor to staff of the hotels," he said.

 

 

The admiral also said help is on the way from a marine medical contingent, as Menoni noted, "We will have approximately forty professionals from the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force Medical Battalion arriving on island within the next 24 to 48 hours. Those folks are not only here to help the sailors on the Theodore Roosevelt, but also to help fill capacity at Naval Hospital and then backstop capacity within GovGuam."

The Navy has declined to release how many sailors have tested positive so far, the national media puts the number at well over 100, but the admiral says all of them are isolated on base. And he offered this reassurance to the civilian population who may be worried about infection.

"No one is allowed off the base unless they are tested negative for COVID-19. The second reassurance I can give you is that these sailors will be under the direct supervision of U.S. Naval personnel, both potentially Naval Security Forces, Marine Security Forces, and then potentially local security forces to ensure that they comply with the mandatory 14-day quarantine period," he reassured the community.

Guam governor Lou Leon Guerrero acknowledged that she has been in discussions with the admiral over the last two days, and she did not take the decision lightly to allow the off-base quarantine.

"We have an interest in protecting our community and stopping the spread of COVID-19 just as much as the military has an obligation to return the USS Roosevelt to the open ocean to protect Guam and the region. I know there will be a small chorus of cynics who will oppose this decision. But now is not the time for us versus them," she said. "While there are sailors on board ship from every corner of the nation, some of those sailors call Guam home."