HMCS Halifax, a ship that has recently docked in Halifax, was in Europe for NATO’s Operation Reassurance before coming home. It seems that the ship won’t be getting a cheerful welcome home as one of its crew members has tested positive for COVID-19.
A Maritime Forces Atlantic spokesperson said that the navy wasn’t aware that they have a crew member infected by COVID-19 on the ship. The spokesperson also said that the member is asymptomatic and in good health.
The infected person has been isolated from the rest of the crew. The other 252 sailors have been tested negative and no one is showing symptoms.
Rear Admiral Brian Santarpia, the commander of Maritime Forces Atlantic, said that everyone on the ship was double vaccinated.
He added:
“In an ideal world, we’ll get word we just have one case and we’ll figure out how we get the rest of the families home today. The most important thing for us is to make sure we keep our communities and families safe from COVID.”
He said the ship recently made a stop in Reykjavik, Iceland. While there, the crew were allowed to go ashore.
Cmdr. Chris Rochon stated that it was not a mistake to go ashore in Iceland. The local authorities and the navy worked together and tried hard to observe COVID protocols.
