Watch CBS News

Coronavirus Update: Grand Princess Leaves Port Of Oakland; Moors In San Francisco Bay

OAKLAND (CBS SF) -- After nearly a week of being moored at a secure dockside in the Port of Oakland, the Grand Princess slowly made its way into the San Francisco Bay Monday morning.

The massive ship moved to a mooring site in the Bay where it will remain under a 14-day quarantine. At least six foreign passengers were reportedly still onboard as were more than 300 crew members.

More than 2,400 passengers and 500 crew members exited the ship during its stay in Oakland. They all underwent medical checks for the coronavirus as they departed, if no sign of the disease was found, they were allowed to depart to quarantines.

The Americans were spread out over four military bases -- including Travis Air Force Base -- for federally mandated 14-day secure quarantines. Foreign travelers were flown by charter flights to their native countries.

COMPLETE COVERAGE: CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK

More than two dozen passengers were diagnosed with being infected with the virus. Those who needed hospitalization went set to local hospitals. Those infected, but showing no symptoms, were being housed in a hotel in San Carlos under the watchful eyes of U.S. marshals.

The ship and the ordeal of the more than 2,000 passengers aboard had become a main story line of the growing coronavirus outbreak in the Bay Area.

More than two dozen confirmed coronavirus cases can be traced to a Feb. 11-21 round-trip voyage from San Francisco to the Mexican Rivera. One former passenger -- a 71-year-old Rocklin man -- died from the disease.

The ship's next voyage -- a 15-day round trip to Hawaii -- ended prematurely when officials recalled the boat to San Francisco in the wake of those cases.

But before it could dock, Gov. Gavin Newsom required the onboard testing of 45 passengers and crew members who were suffering from flu-like symptoms. Of those, 19 crew members and two passengers tested positive for the coronavirus.

The ship was held off the Northern California coast for several days and finally given clearance to dock in Oakland last week. Once the Grand Princess docked, each passenger was screened for the disease. More than 20 have been found to be infected including a passenger flown home to Canada.

Eventually, passengers and crew members were allowed to leave the ship over a 5-day span. The American passengers were taken to one of four military bases across the country to undergo a federally mandated 14-day quarantine. The foreign passengers were flown back to their native countries.

The passengers who tested positive but did not need hospitalization ended up in a quarantine at a hotel in San Carlos. A plan that has been the source of controversy for many residents in the San Francisco Peninsula city.

Federal officials said the Coast Guard approved a departure plan for the ship Sunday morning and the ship was scheduled to leave the dock around 7 p.m. But late Sunday, Oakland police said the ship won't be leaving until Monday morning.

There was no word for what was causing the delay.

"Following the completion of the mission today, the Grand Princess Cruise Ship will be moved from the Port of Oakland and temporarily anchored in San Francisco Bay while additional crew disembark for chartered flights from a non-commercial portion of San Francisco International Airport," officials said in a news release. "The individuals disembarking for charted flights Sunday will undergo the same robust health screenings as passengers from the Grand Princess."

Upon the ship's departure, the Port of Oakland site will be fully remediated and decontaminated by immediately removing temporary structures and pressure washing the entire site with a bleach solution to disinfect it.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.