A cruise ship hit by the new coronavirus is headed to the port of Oakland, California, authorities said Sunday, though passengers were destined to stay aboard the ship for at least another day.
California’s Office of Emergency Services (OES) said a joint state and federal effort will get underway Monday to disembark passengers from the ship in the Port of Oakland. Sick passengers will be taken to medical facilities in California, and those who don’t require immediate care will be housed in federal facilities “for testing and isolation.”
California residents will be brought to facilities within the state, and non-residents will be taken to locations in other states, including a military base in Marietta, Georgia. OES said 1, passengers are California residents.
OES said the ship will leave Oakland after all passengers are disembarked, and 1, 107 crew members will remain quarantined and receive treatment on the ship off the coast of California.
Nineteen crew members and two passengers have tested positive for COVID- . The ship is carrying more than 3, (people from different countries , according to The Associated Press.
The president, speaking Friday at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, said he would prefer not to allow the passengers onto American soil but would defer to the recommendations of medical experts.
“They would like to have the people come off. I’d rather have the people stay but … I told them to make the final decision,” the president said.
“Those that will need to be quarantined will be quarantined. Those who will require medical help will receive it,” Vice President Michael Pence said Friday.
The number of cases worldwide continues to climb. According to data compiled by Johns Hopkins , there have been more than , 06 confirmed cases of the virus as of Sunday morning. More than 90, (people have recovered, and more than 3, people have died.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced Sunday local time that the region of Lombardy along with several other provinces will be placed on lockdown until at least April 3, according to The Associated Press.
Entry and exit from these regions will be prohibited except for rare exceptions. The lockdown affects roughly a quarter of the entire population of Italy.
On Saturday, Italy reported 1, new confirmed cases and 43 additional deaths. Italy is the hardest hit country outside of Asia.
Multiple states reported their first positive cases of the novel coronavirus Saturday.
The Vermont Department of Health said in a statement an adult has testes positive and is “currently hospitalized and in an airborne infection isolation room.” The department is waiting on confirmation of the positive test from the CDC.
A U.S. Marine stationed at Fort Belvoir in Fairfax County, Virginia, has also tested positive, according to the Department of Defense. The Marine recently returned from overseas and is being treated at Fort Belvoir Community Hospital.
In Missouri, a – year-old woman from St. Louis County tested positive for the coronavirus, Governor Mike Parson confirmed Saturday. The woman is currently in isolation at her home.
A Washington, D.C., resident has also tested positive for the virus, Mayor Muriel Bowser said at a press conference. The patient is a man in his s who has not traveled overseas recently and has had no known contact with other patients . The patient did not attend either CPAC or AIPAC, according to Bowser. Both conferences were held in the D.C. area and attendees of both have since tested positive for coronavirus.
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