Coronavirus: Grand Princess Passengers Continue To Leave Ship

OAKLAND, CA — More than 1,400 passengers have disembarked from the Grand Princess cruise ship since it docked in Oakland on Monday, and Americans have begun arriving at quarantine centers at U.S. military bases in California and two other states including Travis Air Force Base in Solano County. Tests showed that 21 passengers and crew members have the new coronavirus.

International passengers are returning to their own countries. Both Canada and the UK chartered planes to take their citizens home for quarantine. The World Health Organization declared new coronavirus a global pandemic on Wednesday.

According to Princess Cruises, "As part of the disembarkation process, Health & Human Services teams have been on board the Grand Princess to assist with medical screenings and interviews and have prioritized those who require the most medical attention and care."

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The ship had been idling off the coast of California since last week when it was banned from docking in San Francisco because of coronavirus cases aboard the ship.

Passengers will continue leaving the ship on Wednesday, before it sails out of San Francisco Bay to an unnamed destination with its 1,100 crew members aboard in quarantine.

Earlier, Jan Swartz, president of Princess Cruises said in a statement, "All of us at Princess Cruises offer our sincere gratitude and appreciation to the federal, state and local authorities who are coordinating, collaborating and activating resources and personnel in support of this response to provide care and attend to the health and well-being of our guests and crew."

Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that include the common cold as well as much more serious diseases. The strain that emerged in China in late 2019 is related to others that have caused serious outbreaks in recent years, including severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). The first case of COVID-19 in the U.S. was confirmed Jan. 21.

The disease, which apparently originated in animals, is now transferring from person to person, although the mechanism is not yet fully understood. Its symptoms include fever, coughing and shortness of breath, and many patients develop pneumonia. There is as yet no vaccine against COVID-19 and no antiviral treatment.

According to the CDC, the best way to prevent the disease is to avoid close contact with people who are sick, to avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands, to wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, and to use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol if soap and water are not available.

To avoid spreading any respiratory illness, the CDC recommends staying at home if you are sick, covering your cough or sneeze with a tissue and throwing the tissue in the trash, and cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched objects and surfaces.

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