US Navy Quarantines All Ships Recently Docked in Pacific Ports - Reports

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The US navy has ordered that all ships that have made stops in countries of the Pacific region be put under quarantine and remain at sea for 14 days as a precaution amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, the CNN broadcaster reported on Friday.

The broadcaster reported, citing guidance issued by Commander of US Navy's Pacific Fleet John Aquilino, that these vessels were "to remain at sea for at least 14 days before pulling into another port, in order to monitor sailors for any symptoms of the virus".

"Out of an abundance of caution, Pacific Fleet is implementing additional mitigations to prevent Sailors from contracting COVID-19, and to monitor Sailors who have travelled to higher-risk areas", spokesman James Adams told CNN.

The spokesman added that no navy personnel had shown any symptoms of the disease so far.

People wearing protective face masks, following an outbreak of the coronavirus, walk past a screen showing Nikkei index, outside a brokerage in Tokyo, Japan February 28, 2020.

© REUTERS / ATHIT PERAWONGMETHA

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed 59 coronavirus cases on US soil, the majority of which are of patients evacuated from China's Wuhan and the Diamond Princess Cruise Ship.

On a global scale, over 83,300 people have contracted COVID-19, resulting in more than 2,850 deaths. However, the most recent figures indicate that over a third of the people who have contracted the disease have since recovered.