Coronavirus: Grand Princess cruise ship readies for a third day of disembarking travelers
The Grand Princess cruise ship was set to continue disembarking passengers for a third day Wednesday in Oakland, California, after those on the ship were in limbo since Thursday when coronavirus cases were discovered on board. As of Tuesday, 1,406 people had disembarked from the ship.
A handful of people from the ship who were treated at hospitals and released will be sent to hotels in several locations to spend their 14-day quarantine, while other Americans will be flown or bused to military bases in California, Texas and Georgia.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom said about 100 people are processed and taken off the ship per hour — a consuming endeavor to ensure the safety of workers and meet the needs of passengers. However, he said he wants to see the process speed up so that the ship can leave Oakland within 72 hours.
He said legal advisers are reviewing the possibility of restricting cruise travel off the California coast as he awaits new federal guidelines on the cruise industry. In the meantime, he said cruise ships ought to introduce aggressive requirements for travelers “at the peril of that industry collapsing.”
On Monday, when disembarkation began, two passengers were taken to hospitals along with their travel companions after testing positive Friday. Meanwhile, 19 crew members who tested positive but “have been deemed asymptomatic” remain on the ship in isolated cabins, the company stated in a press release issued Tuesday.
“Once disembarkation of the guests is completed, crew members will remain onboard and Grand Princess will depart from San Francisco Bay. Plans for a crew quarantine are still being determined,” Princess noted.
North Carolina resident Donna LaGesse said Tuesday she had no idea when she would be allowed off the ship. Her traveling companion, sister-in-law Jackie Eilers from Colorado, knew only slightly more. She received a luggage tag on Tuesday afternoon, signaling that she would be departing soon but wasn’t told when. Because LaGesse did not receive one, she worried the two will be sent to separate quarantine facilities.
“We haven’t received any information … We have not received anything in writing or anything like that to say where we’re going or if we’re even leaving today,” LaGesse told USA TODAY on Tuesday morning.
Princess’ release noted “once they disembark, American guests will be transferred to either Travis Air Force Base in Solano County, California; Miramar Marine Corps Air Station in San Diego; Lackland Air Force Base in Bexar County, Texas; or Dobbins Air Reserve Base in Marietta, Georgia.”
LaGesse and Eilers weren’t the only passengers frustrated with the situation. Two passengers from Florida sued Princess Cruises on Monday, seeking more than $1 million in damages, citing negligence.
The plaintiffs, Ronald and Eva Weissberger of Broward County, Florida, allege they wouldn’t have gotten on the ship if they were aware of the “actual risk exposure.”
When it set sail Feb. 11, the Grand Princess was carrying 2,421 passengers. Those on the cruise may have been exposed to coronavirus after sailing with 62 people who were on the ship at the same time as a California man who eventually died from the virus.
Beginning Monday, bus loads of Grand Princess passengers were taken to the Travis Air Force Base, located near Fairfield, California.
