The Coronavirus-Infected Grand Princess Is in Port. But Passengers Are Still Stuck on Board

(OAKLAND, Calif.) — Thousands of passengers aboard a cruise ship struck by the novel coronavirus waited anxiously Tuesday for their chance to leave the vessel, even if it meant being shipped to military bases for weeks of quarantine. After days of being forced to idle off the Northern California coast, the Grand Princess docked Monday at the Port of Oakland with some 3,500 passengers and crew on board. “Everyone was hollering and clapping” as the giant vessel sailed under the Golden Gate Bridge and entered the harbor, passenger Karen Schwartz Dever said. About two dozen people who need acute medical care were taken off the ship, although it wasn’t clear how many had tested positive for the new virus, COVID-19, said Brian Ferguson, a spokesman for the California Office of Emergency Services. Many of the nearly 240 Canadians on board left the ship after the critically ill and stood outside two tents displaying Canadian flags. Canada and the UK were among the countries sending chartered flights to retrieve their citizens. But some 2,000 passengers, including hundreds of Californians, were still aboard by the time disembarkation ended Monday night. It was to resume Tuesday morning, the captain told passengers. Carolyn Wright, 63, of Santa Fe, New Mexico, could look out of her cabin window as passengers lined up. Around them, she noted, were people in yellow protective clothing, gloves and even a few hazardous materials suits. For days, passengers aboard t...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized California COVID-19 onetime Travel Source Type: news