This post has been updated with an additional Sunday statement from Naval Special Warfare Command.
Four special operations sailors has tested positive for the COVID-19 virus, Naval Special Warfare Command announced.
On Thursday, a second-class petty officer was training at Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor when the sailor tested positive for the virus.
“The individual is currently isolated on base and restricted in movement in accordance with the Center for Disease Control and prevention guidelines,” read the statement. “The other members of the group who were in close contact with the sailor are also quarantined on base out of an abundance of caution. They remain in close contact with medical professionals at time.”
Following that announcement, on Sunday the command confirmed Naval Special Warfare cases three additional first-class petty officers tied to Kitsap-Bangor. A fifth sailor was tested for COVD-19 and was found not to have the virus.
“Naval Special Warfare will not provide or confirm the rate of any of the four petty officers who tested positive for COVID-19 in support of operational security,” read a Sunday statement from the command.
Navy SEALs and Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewmen train frequently in the Pacific Northwest around Puget Sound. In the last several years, Naval Special Warfare Command has expanded training in the region in the parkland near the sound surrounding the Seattle area.
Seattle suburb Kirkland has the first major U.S. hotspot for the COVID-19 virus that has spread throughout the region.
On Thursday, Navy officials told USNI News that the San Diego, Calif., based hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH-19). The governors of California and Washington have both requested President Donald Trump to send the hospital ship to their respective states.
Since the outbreak of the virus, the Navy has reported about a dozen confirmed cases across the fleet from pier-side ships USS Boxer (LHD-4), USS Ralph Johnson (DDG-114), and USS Coronado (LCS-4) and installations in Florida, Virginia, California and Italy.
The following is the March 22, 2020 statement from Naval Special Warfare Command.
Naval Special Warfare: Three Additional Positive COVID-19 Cases Onboard Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor – One Tests Negative
SILVERDALE, Wash. — Test results confirmed three first-class petty officers assigned to Naval Special Warfare who were training at Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor tested positive for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), Mar. 21. Naval Special Warfare confirmed its first positive case, also onboard Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor, Mar. 19. A test on a fifth member of Naval Special Warfare was negative for the disease. All four confirmed positive cases display signs of improvement.
The four Naval Special Warfare petty officers who tested positive for COVID-19 are currently isolated on base and restricted in movement in accordance with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Guidelines. The other members of the group who were in close contact with the sailors currently do not display symptoms, but are also quarantined on base in accordance with CDC Guidelines. They remain in close contact with medical professionals.
Naval Special Warfare will not provide or confirm the rate of any of the four petty officers who tested positive for COVID-19 in support of operational security.
U.S. Special Operations Command and the Navy are committed to taking every measure possible to protect the health of our force. We remain in close coordination with local agencies, base tenant commands, and public health authorities to ensure the well-being of our personnel and the local community.
