Coronavirus Cases Surpass 600; County Cracks Down On Cruise Ships

SAN DIEGO COUNTY, CA — County officials are cracking down on cruise ships as the number of coronavirus cases continue to climb in the San Diego region.

The county announced two new public heath orders Monday focused on cruise ships. One order gives the county public health officer discretion on disembarkations if a crew member or passenger on the ship has tested positive for COVID-19, while the other order bans all cruise ships from disembarking in San Diego after Tuesday.

Cruise ships will only be able to dock in San Diego Harbor for supplies. No crew member or passenger will be able to disembark until the public health emergency has ended, outside of limited, emergency situations.

Since the county declared a public health emergency, five cruise ships have docked and disembarked some or all of their passengers in the city. The most recent, the Celebrity Eclipse, docked Monday in the harbor, where 2,300 passengers will disembark through Tuesday. No case of COVID-19 has been detected on the ship.

Dr. Eric McDonald, the county's medical director of epidemiology, said health officials are in continuous contact with the ship's crew for any sign of symptoms.

McDonald said 17 cruise passengers are from the county. They will go straight home after disembarking from the ship and will self-quarantine for 14 days. Other passengers are from outside the county and they will travel home and self-quarantine.

The remaining crew and 200 passengers will leave San Diego at 5 p.m. Tuesday, and head to Acapulco, Mexico, where they will leave the ship on April 4.

Currently, three cruise ships without passengers are anchored or berthed around San Diego Bay.

The Regent Seven Seas Splendor is outside the bay and will dock April 1 at Broadway Pier until April 11. The Disney Wonder will remain docked at the B Street cruise terminal until April 19 and the Celebrity Millennium is anchored outside the bay but will dock April 2 for supplies.

A crew member and a passenger from the Disney Wonder tested positive for COVID-19. They were both hospitalized. Two cases were pending.

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There were 84 new COVID-19 cases reported Monday, bringing the region's total to 603.

"The numbers, again, on a day-to-day basis do not tell us anything significant other than we have continued spread," Supervisor Nathan Fletcher said during Monday's news briefing, which took place before the latest numbers were released.

On Sunday, 31 new cases were reported, which was down from the previous few days. The drop in the number of confirmed cases was likely due to a delay or lag in testing, Fletcher noted.

A total of 8,129 tests have been reported in the county, officials said.

"Even though the number is down a little bit, we still believe that this is a growing situation and we need the public's continued commitment, not necessarily to make decisions or assumptions about what's happening day-to-day, but to recognize where we are in this process relative to many other jurisdictions that are struggling," he said. "It is still early. We still have wide community spread."

According to figures released Monday, 118 county residents have been hospitalized because of COVID-19, including 51 in intensive care. There have been seven deaths in the county.

Of the total cases, 256 were women, 345 were men and two were unknown.

The cases announced Monday included a second San Diego Police Department officer, Mayor Kevin Faulconer said. Four San Diego Fire-Rescue Department firefighters have also been diagnosed with COVID-19, along with a San Diego lifeguard, Faulconer said.

Related coverage:

• Coronavirus: 5 Food Handlers Test Positive In San Diego County
• 7th Coronavirus Death Confirmed As Cases Rise In San Diego County
• Listen To Stay-Home, Social-Distance Mandates: San Diego County Sheriff
• Supervisors Put Moratorium On Evictions For Residents, Small Businesses
• California Coronavirus: Live Updates On Cases, Closures, Orders

Patch editor Kristina Houck and City News Service contributed to this report.