《 What we know as Grand Princess docks and passengers begin coronavirus quarantines 》
Medical personnel tend to passengers as they disembark from the Grand Princess cruise ship at the Port of Oakland.(Josh Edelson / AFP / Getty Images)
By ANITA CHABRIA, HANNAH FRY, JACLYN COSGROVE
MARCH 11, 20209:10 AM
After days in coronavirus limbo, the Grand Princess cruise ship arrived at the Port of Oakland this week and the city suddenly found itself at the center of a public health emergency.
Here’s what we know as the ship continues to unload thousands of weary passengers:
When did the cruise ship dock in Oakland?
The Grand Princess arrived in Oakland around noon Monday. Passengers started departing the vessel later in the afternoon. Emergency personnel spent the early afternoon setting up tents just off the dock where passengers are being screened prior to boarding buses for quaratine sites.
It’s “a good day to pack,” the captain announced over the ship’s intercom at 10 a.m., according to passengers.
Those with immediate medical needs, which could extend beyond cases of those suspected of having the coronavirus, disembarked first. Twenty-one people on board have tested positive for the virus.
Canadian passengers disembark from the Grand Princess cruise ship at the Port of Oakland.(JOSH EDELSON / AFP / Getty Images)
How many passengers have gotten off the ship?
As of 7 p.m. Tuesday, 1,406 passengers had disembarked from the Grand Princess, according to the cruise line. That includes 320 Californians who were taken by bus over two days to Travis Air Force Base in Solano County to begin their 14-day quarantine.
Twenty-six people were taken to regional hospitals in six counties, but not all of them needed hospital care, according to the governor’s office. Those who didn’t require hospitalization were taken to hotels in Monterey County, Burlingame and San Carlos. The hotels have been closed to the public and are strictly dedicated to housing coronavirus patients, Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a news conference Tuesday.
Are passengers allowed to interact with the public?
No, according to authorities. “None of the passengers who disembark will be released into the general public,” according to a statement Monday by the California Office of Emergency Services. All passengers will face at least a 14-day quarantine, in various locations. Some passengers are being flown to Lackland Air Force Base in Texas.
Medical personnel help load passengers from the Grand Princess cruise ship onto airplanes at Oakland International Airport in Oakland.(JOSH EDELSON / AFP / Getty Images)
● News from: Los Angles Times