Lt. Gen. Christopher Cavoli is suspected of being infected with nCoV after a meeting with European army chiefs, who are quarantining and working remotely.

General Cavoli, commander of the US Army in Europe (USAREUR), along with some staff members, may have been exposed to nCoV at a recent meeting, forcing him to "self-monitor" and administering the job remotely, US Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy yesterday announced.

A US official said Lieutenant General Cavoli was suspected of being infected with nCoV after meeting with army commanders in Wiesbaden, Germany last week. One of the foreign military officials at the meeting was later confirmed to be infected with nCoV. Photos of the meeting showed Cavoli sitting next to an Italian army officer.

Italian Army Chief of Staff Salvatore Farina was tested positive yesterday for the nCoV, but the US Army declined to comment on whether he was present at the meeting and contacted General Cavoli.

The information comes as the US military seeks to limit Covid-19's influence with more than one million regular troops deployed worldwide. The Pentagon reported three soldiers were infected with nCoV in the United States, South Korea and Italy, while another seven were being monitored.

Covid-19 started in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province in China in December 2019 and has appeared in 113 countries and territories. The epidemic has infected more than 114,000 people, more than 4,000 people died. The US recorded 668 cases, of which 26 were fatal.