RTWed, 08 Apr 2020 05:40 UTC
© Reuters/Ali HashishoUN peacekeepers patrol Maroun Al-Ras village in southern Lebanon
The United Nations has ordered its military and police forces across the globe to suspend rotation in an effort to mitigate the spread of the deadly coronavirus.
The suspension will stay in effect until June 30, the spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, Stephane Dujarric, told reporters on Tuesday.
"There is no movement of troops, coming in or out... A few, limited exceptions may be considered," Dujarric told CBS News.
The spokesperson explained that
the order applies not only to formed military and police units, but to individual officers as well. The UN currently has 13 active peacekeeping missions in Africa, the Middle East, Cyprus, Kosovo, and Kashmir.
Armies in different countries have been struggling to keep their personnel from being infected. Last month, the US Navy isolated the entire crew of aircraft carrier USS
Theodore Roosevelt off Guam after more than 100 sailors tested positive for Covid-19.
In late March, Dutch combat submarine HNLMS
Dolfijn had to cut short its North Sea training mission when several crew members became infected with the novel coronavirus.
The pandemic has led NATO to cancel or scale down several of its regular military drills, including the major US-led 'Defender Europe 20' exercise, which was severely curtailed in size and scope.
Comment: Ships to shore! Crews
'under the weather'
France's sole aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle had to suspend its Mediterranean Sea mission and turn back to port shortly after around 40 of its crewmembers were placed under medical observation with suspected Covid-19.
All symptomatic sailors have been "isolated" from the rest of the crew and are being constantly monitored by medical staff, the Defense Ministry said on Wednesday. "They have symptoms consistent with a possible Covid-19 infection. These first symptoms have appeared recently."
The illness struck the crew when the nuclear-powered ship was making its way to the Mediterranean Sea to participate in France's Operation Chammal, directed against Islamist militants in the Middle East. Now, it will return to the southern French port of Toulon, where it had originally planned to dock on April 23.
The US Navy had to isolate more than 4,000 personnel on board the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt off Guam, after around 100 of its crew had tested positive for Covid-19.
Comment: Ships to shore! Crews 'under the weather'