San Francisco, California — A Princess cruise ship that has 21 confirmed cases of coronavirus has been returned to US waters after it was scheduled to dock in Mexico next week.
The Grand Princess cruise ship was returned to San Francisco waters after authorities confirmed 21 cases of coronavirus. The announcement was made by US Vice President Mike Pence Friday, who confirmed that 46 ship passengers were tested. He says of those tested for the virus, 21 were positive, 24 were negative and one test was inconclusive.
The ship has remained off the cost of California since Wednesday with 2,422 passengers and 1,111 crew members where the national guard dropped off virus test kits by helicopter Thursday. On Friday during his press release, Pence explained that he was working with California Governor Gavin Newsom, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Health and Human Services to move the cruise ship to a “non-commercial port.”
“All passengers and crew will be tested for the coronavirus. Those that need to be quarantined will be quarantined. Those that require additional medical attention will receive it,” Pence added.
The ship is carrying more than 3,500 people from 54 nationalities. As of Friday, California reported 65 confirmed cases of coronavirus, one of which, resulted in the death of a 71-year-old man who had recently traveled on a Princess cruise.
The Grand Princess was set to sail on a two-week cruise that included a stop in Mexico. An upcoming cruise, that would have included two stops in Ensenada has been canceled.