Over 300 Cruise Ship Evacuees Begin Quarantine At MCAS Miramar

SAN DIEGO, CA — Gov. Gavin Newsom appeared to confirm Thursday that at least one of the passengers from the Grand Princess cruise ship in quarantine at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego has tested positive for the new coronavirus.

"We are aware of a number of people who have tested positive that have come off ship in addition to the 21 who were originally tested," Gov. Newsom said. "Two that were passengers, 19 that were crew members, one in Canada and one down in Miramar, but that information is coming in real time. That's all I know about those individuals at this stage."

Meanwhile, ABC10 News reported that a Marine stationed at MCAS Miramar tested positive for coronavirus, known as COVID-19, after visiting family in Washington.

More than 300 passengers from the Grand Princess cruise ship are being quarantined at the San Diego base.

Roughly 270 evacuees arrived Wednesday afternoon at MCAS Miramar, where they joined 42 passengers who arrived Tuesday night.

About 400 evacuees are expected to be housed at the base, but it was not immediately clear when the rest of the cruise ship passengers would arrive, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.

At least 21 people tested positive for coronavirus on the Grand Princess cruise ship. Roughly 3,500 people were aboard the ship, including about 900 Californians.

This is the second time MCAS Miramar has been used as a quarantine facility due to COVID-19.

In February, more than 200 people who were evacuated from Wuhan, China – the epicenter of the outbreak – were placed under federal quarantine at the facility. Two of the evacuees eventually tested positive for the virus. Both of the patients have since recovered and been released.

Col. Charles Dockery, commanding officer of MCAS Miramar, sent a letter to Marines, sailors and their families about the mandatory 14-day quarantine period at the base.

"As with the previous mission, all passengers entering quarantine will have been deemed asymptomatic by health care professionals," he wrote. " Passengers will remain quarantined throughout the 14-day period and there will be no contact with DOD personnel."

On Wednesday, the World Health Organization announced that the new coronavirus had become a "pandemic." The pandemic declaration refers to the scope of the new coronavirus — but not its severity — and means it has become a "worldwide spread of a new disease."

On Monday, health officials confirmed the county's first presumptive positive case of coronavirus in a local resident, who is being treated at Scripps Green Hospital. The case is considered presumptive positive until test results are confirmed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The woman, who is in her 50s, tested positive after traveling overseas to an unspecified location, according to Dr. Wilma Wooten, the county's public health officer.

Although the patient is considered the county's first coronavirus case, the virus has had a presence in the San Diego area.

In addition to the two cases stemming from the quarantine at MCAS Miramar, last week a person who works at an AT&T retail store in Chula Vista tested positive for coronavirus, prompting the temporary closure of some AT&T stores in the region. The patient lives in Orange County.

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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 confirmed case of COVID-19 in the U.S. was on 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 currently no vaccine against COVID-19 it and no antiviral treatment.

According to the CDC, the best way of preventing 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 when you are sick, covering your cough or sneeze with a tissue and throwing the tissue in the trash, cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched objects and surfaces.
Related coverage:

• Cruise Ship Evacuees Arrive At Miramar For Coronavirus Quarantine
• Coronavirus: San Diego County Extends Emergency Declaration
• Coronavirus: SDSU To Move Classes Online After Spring Break
• Coronavirus: UCSD Cancels In-Person Classes For Spring Quarter
• San Diego DA's Office Warns Of Coronavirus-Related Price Gouging
• Coronavirus: Handwashing Stations Placed Throughout County

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