Travis AFB To Take In Grand Princess Cruise Ship Evacuees

SOLANO COUNTY, CA — Travis Air Force Base said Sunday it will again serve as a home away from home for passengers being evacuated from a Princess Cruises ship. Base officials said they were notified by the U.S. Secretary of Defense that the military installation in the Solano County city of Fairfield would be utilized for lodging accommodations for passengers disembarking from the Grand Princess.

The Grand Princess docked Monday in Oakland with 3,532 people on board, including 2,421 guests and 1,111 teammates. The ship's return to the San Francisco Bay Area was delayed last week when it was determined that the first California resident to die from the new coronavirus was a passenger on the ship's Feb. 11-21 voyage from San Francisco to Mexico and back. When the Grand Princess left a few days later for Hawaii, some passengers from the Mexico trip were still on board.

Residents of Sonoma and Contra Costa counties who also went on the Grand Princess Mexico cruise were among those diagnosed with the new coronavirus, or COVID-19.

As passengers disembark from the Grand Princess in what is expected to be a multiple-day process, Travis AFB said anyone who has tested positive for COVID-19 will not be brought to the base.

Further, any passengers who display or develop symptoms after arrival at Travis AFB will be transferred to an off-base medical facility.

"Our leadership remains focused on ensuring the safety and welfare of the Team Travis community, while continuing our primary mission to rapidly project American power anytime ... anywhere," base officials said.

In February, Travis AFB was one of two U.S. military bases that took in American passengers evacuated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan. The base served as a 14-day quarantine area for 172 passengers who were exposed to the new coronavirus aboard the ship while in Japanese waters. Some of those passengers ended up being transferred for care to Bay Area hospitals in Napa County, Sonoma County, Contra Costa County and Solano County.

According to Princess Cruises, the Oakland disembarkation was to take place in order of priority, as defined and directed by both state and local authorities.

"It is expected to be a multiple-day process," the cruise line said. "The U.S. Coast Guard will be sending California Health & Human Services teams to assist with medical triage, screening and interviews, and prioritizing those who require the most acute care. To avoid delays, testing will be conducted when guests arrive at their onward destination."

While the ship was delayed off the coast of the Bay Area last week, the U.S. Coast Guard flew COVID-19 tests to the ship, then back to a Richmond lab. Of 45 people tested, 21 were positive: two passengers and 19 crew members.

Princess Cruises says once disembarkation of all guests in Oakland is complete, crew members will remain quarantined on the ship and it will depart the San Francisco Bay Area.

"The safety, health and well-being of our guests and crew is always our top priority, and we continue to make every effort to ensure they are safe and comfortable while they remain onboard," Princess Cruises said.

"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," Princess Cruises President Jan Swartz said.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday there are more than 500 confirmed cases of COVID-19 nationwide, with two most affected states being California and Washington.

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