Thousands prepare to get off ship hit by virus in California

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Federal and state officials in California prepared to receive thousands of people Monday from a cruise ship that has been idling off the coast of San Francisco with at least 21 people aboard infected with the coronavirus.

Personnel covered head to toe in protective gear woke passengers on the Grand Princess to check whether they have symptoms of COVID-19.

Michele Smith, of Paradise, California, said a doctor knocked on her and her husband's cabin before dawn and asked if they had a fever or a cough. The couple who went on the cruise to celebrate their wedding anniversary are healthy and, like the rest of the 2,400 passengers aboard, have been isolating in their cabins since Thursday.

On land, fences were installed at an 11-acre site at the Port of Oakland as authorities readied flights and buses to whisk the passengers aboard the ship to military bases or their home countries for a 14-day quarantine. The more than 3,500 passengers and crew on the ship hail from 54 countries.

"We’re making every effort to get them off the ship as safely and quickly as possible,” said Dr. John Redd of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, who urged passengers to remain in their rooms.

The number of infections in the United States climbed above 500, with at least 21 deaths, as testing increased. The virus has infected more than 110,000 worldwide, with Italy becoming the latest country to lock down a region in an attempt to prevent its spread. On Wall Street, a combination of coronavirus fears and plunging oil prices sent stocks plummeting Monday.

In California, Gov. Gavin Newsom and the mayor of Oakland sought to reassure the public that none of the Grand Princess passengers would be exposed to the U.S. public before completing the quarantine.

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