The US Navy is leaving a carrier strike group at sea to keep sailors from catching the coronavirus

• Responding to the coronavirus, the Navy has decided to leave the Harry S. Truman carrier strike group out at sea for at least three weeks rather than bring it home, the service said in a statement Monday.
• The carrier and its accompanying surface ships will remain in the Western Atlantic and conduct sustainment operations underway.
• "In the face of COVID-19, we need to protect our most valuable asset, our people, by keeping the ship out to sea," 2nd Fleet Commander Vice Adm. Andrew Lewis said in a statement.
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A US Navy carrier strike group has wrapped up its latest deployment, but it isn't coming home just yet due to concerns about to the coronavirus.

The Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group recently completed a nearly five-month deployment to the 5th and 6th Fleet areas of operation. At one point during the deployment, the USS Harry S. Truman conducted operations alongside the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in a message to Iran.

The Navy announced in a statement Monday that the CSG will remain at sea in the Western Atlantic for the time being rather than return to its homeport of Norfolk, Va. The service says it will evaluate the situation and update sailors and their families on its plans again in three weeks.

"The ship is entering a period in which it needs to be ready to respond and deploy at any time," 2nd Fleet Commander Vice Adm. Andrew Lewis said. "Normally we can do that pierside, but in the face of COVID-19, we need to protect our most valuable asset, our people, by keeping the ship out to sea."

The decision to leave the CSG at sea comes as the Navy battles a coronavirus outbreak aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt in the Pacific. Nearly 600 sailors aboard that ship have tested positive for the coronavirus, and on Monday, one sailor who had been hospitalized and placed in an intensive care unit died.

The sailor who died of coronavirus complications had been found unresponsive in isolation immediately prior to hospitalization. CPR was administered by fellow sailors and medical personnel.

Rather than return to port, the Harry S. Truman CSG will conduct sustainment underway.

"After completing a successful deployment we would love nothing more than to be reunited with our friends and families," Carrier Strike Group 8 Commander Rear Adm. Andrew Loiselle said in a statement.

"We recognize that these are unique circumstances and the responsible thing to do is to ensure we are able to answer our nation's call while ensuring the health and safety of our Sailors," he added. "We thank you for your continued love and support as we remain focused on this important mission."

The Harry S. Truman CSG's latest deployment got off to an unusual start. As the Truman dealt with an electrical malfunction, the other ships of the carrier strike group deployed in September without the carrier, forming a surface action group. The Truman deployed in November after repairs were completed.