Majority of passengers, crew still aboard the Grand Princess.
OAKLAND >> The majority of passengers and crew members were still aboard the Grand Princess cruise ship Wednesday while federal and state officials continued the complicated process of unloading the more than 2,500 passengers and shuttling around the world for testing and quarantine.
The progress made so far suggested that federal and state officials would not meet California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s goal of completing the operation and sending the ship back out to sea within 72 hours of its arrival at the Port of Oakland.
For Elizabeth Aleteanu and her family, waking up on Wednesday marked a seventh day trapped in a windowless room aboard the ship. At this point, Aleteanu has celebrated her 35th birthday, her children have learned tai chi from the television programming offered in their room, and they’ve consumed more room service than they could have ever imagined.
“They’re definitely ready to go,” Aleteanu said about her nine-year-old daughter Lianni and seven-year-old son Savian. “But my husband and I are really proud of our kids. They’ve joined us with our positive attitude, and I’m hopeful that we’re going to get off today.”
At least 1,452 people had been taken off the virusstricken ship by Wednesday morning, bound for Travis Air Force Base or other facilities to begin their 14-day quarantines. More than two dozen people taken from the ship have been sent to Bay Area hospitals, including two passengers who tested positive for the virus while on board.
Passengers with mild symptoms but who don’t require hospitalization have headed to local hotels and motels including Asilomar Hotel in Monterey County and an unidentified hotel in San Carlos with the capacity to house 120 people.
“Each person going to San Carlos has been screened by medical professionals, and because they have mild symptoms that do not require hospitalization, they cannot be quarantined at Travis Air Force Base,” the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services said in a news release. “While none of these individuals are known to have contracted novel coronavirus (COVID-19), they will be tested and monitored by medical professionals.”
It was unclear from the release whether those going to San Carlos had symptoms of infection with coronavirus or were presenting with another malady. The office stated that the individuals “will not interact with the general public” but will complete their 14-day quarantine from the hotel, which has no guests.
“California continues to step up to the aid of Americans who want to go home but cannot, and I commend these efforts,” said OES director Mark Ghilarducci. “During this time, we will continue to work with federal, state and local authorities to safeguard the health and safety of San Carlos residents and the entire state.”
San Mateo County officials urged residents to take news of the former passengers’ confinement in San Carlos with “compassion.”
“We have been assured by federal and state authorities that the individuals now temporarily housed in San Carlos pose no health or safety risks to our residents or visitors,” county manager Mike Callagy said in a news release Wednesday. “They are now in a controlled environment managed and protected by the federal government.”
Though state officials had hoped to disembark California residents by Tuesday morning, a lastcall announcement for those passengers was made at around 2 p.m. Wednesday — suggesting they were at least a day behind schedule for offloading the boat.
Still stuck onboard are a number of frustrated Americans, along with passengers of other nationalities whose repatriation plans remain up in the air.
The crew members — who represent a mostly international workforce — are also confined to the ship as authorities determine the next steps.
Bud and Carla LeFever, both in their 70s from Oregon, said they were told Wednesday morning that they would be off the ship by the end of the day but later heard that there were issues with their transportation. The couple said they worry about the uncertainty that awaits them once they disembark, especially since they and most of the other passengers have not yet been tested for the virus.
“Here we’ve been contained for six days, and now we’re going to be comingling with people who may be infected and could infect us. That just doesn’t seem right,” Carla said. “It all sounds a bit disorganized, so it’s kind of frustrating.”
Nearly 800 Americans have been transported to Travis Air Force Base, while about 260 others were sent to military bases in Georgia, Texas and Southern California. Canadian citizens, meanwhile, were flown home on a charter flight, and about 170 British citizens have also began the journey home.
Los Gatos resident Jacqueline Baker, a 56-yearold travel agent, was among those taken to Travis. Although her temperature was taken before boarding the bus and again Wednesday — and she has no symptoms of illness — she said there has been no discussion or offer of testing for COVID-19 whatsoever for disembarked passengers.
“There’s a lot of chaos here, and they’re still trying to get people off the ship,” Baker said. “The frustration is the lack of knowledge and communication — we ask people here and they don’t know anything, and somebody knows something.”
After all passengers are taken off the vessel, the boat will be moved from the Port of Oakland and temporarily anchored while the crew are isolated and treated on board, officials have said. But details of that plan, including where exactly the ship will be anchored, remain hazy.
Meanwhile, regular port operations have continued “uninterrupted” while the federal government conducts its operation with the ship, according to Port of Oakland spokesman Mike Zampa, who said he was unsure when the vessel would head back out to sea.
“Cargo is moving in and out, and we’re handling everything unimpeded,” Zampa said Wednesday. “It seems to be a pretty smooth process up until now.”