Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth and strike group hit with 'major' Covid outbreak after Cyprus shore leave

Almost half of the seven Royal Navy warships in the carrier strike group have been hit by positive cases, according to reports from The Sun.

The outbreak includes at least 100 double-jabbed crew of aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth, which left Portsmouth in May

It is believed that the initial Covid-19 infections were picked up as sailors went out on shore leave in the port of Limassol, Cyprus, at the end of June.

Navy sources insisted that none of the positive cases needed sick bay admission and numbers are starting to fall, according to The Sun.

A Royal Navy spokesperson said: ‘As part of routine testing, a small number of crew from the Carrier Strike Group have tested positive for Covid-19.

‘All personnel deployed have received both doses of the Covid vaccine and there are a number of mitigation measures on board including masks, social distancing and a track and trace system.

‘The Carrier Strike Group will continue to deliver their operational tasks and there are no effects on the deployment.’

HMS Queen Elizabeth previously stopped in Sicily last month.

The vessel – which can accommodate more than 1,700 crew onboard – is on her first deployment, a seven-month tour that will see her visit countries including India, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore.

She is accompanied by an escort that includes four frigates and destroyers, two Royal Fleet Auxiliary support ships, an Astute-class submarine.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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