⁍ The readiness of the Brazilian Navy has not been affected by the coronavirus outbreak, its commander said on Tuesday.
⁍ Admiral Ilques Barbosa played down the impact of the virus on the Navy’s 80,000 men and women.
⁍ He said the program that aims to deliver a nuclear-powered attack submarine to the Brazilian military by 2029 has been set back by budget and technical issues.
– More than 500 people in Brazil have died from a new strain of coronavirus, but the country’s Navy says its readiness has not been affected, Reuters reports. “The rate of infection was very low. It was almost irrelevant,” says admiral Ilques Barbosa, who himself had the virus and worked from home. “Our readiness was never compromised.” Around 8% of the country’s 80,000 Navy personnel have come down with the virus, but most of those who contracted it were over the age of 70 and most of those who died were veterans, he says. Barbosa himself had the virus and worked from home.
Source: https://www.reuters.com/article/brazil-navy/brazil-navy-chief-says-personnel-ready-despite-covid-19-submarines-face-technical-setback-idUSL1N2HI1X7