A staff member assigned to the Navy’s Norfolk, Virginia-based 2nd Fleet has tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
The unidentified person tested positive Monday, and is currently following medical guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention while remaining at home in Virginia Beach, the 2nd Fleet said in a news release issued Tuesday.
The person had returned from official travel to Germany on March 10 and immediately self-quarantined at home.
“U.S. 2nd Fleet is following the guidelines set forth by the Department of Defense, and all personnel who traveled overseas are currently isolated for the 14-day self-observation period,” the Navy said in a statement.
The 2nd Fleet’s headquarters is on Naval Support Activity Hampton Roads, located adjacent to Norfolk Naval Station.
RELATED
Cmdr. Ashley Hockycko, a spokesperson for the 2nd Fleet, said she did not know details about the person’s travel and for privacy purposes declined to say whether the patient is an active duty or a civilian employee.
Upon returning from Germany, the individual “never came into contact with anybody, never came into the office,” Hockycko said.
The individual is the first person with ties to the Navy in Hampton Roads to be officially diagnosed with the novel coronavirus.
The Virginia Department of Health has reported 67 confirmed cases of novel coronavirus, including four in Virginia Beach.
On Tuesday, Gov. Ralph Northam urged the public to restrict gatherings to ten people or less.
German broadcaster Deutsche Welle reported Tuesday evening that the European country has confirmed more than 9,200 COVID-19 cases, including 24 deaths.
Courtney Mabeus-Brown is the senior reporter at Air Force Times. She is an award-winning journalist who previously covered the military for Navy Times and The Virginian-Pilot in Norfolk, Va., where she first set foot on an aircraft carrier. Her work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Foreign Policy and more.
