Grand Princess Awaits Test Results
The results of coronavirus test samples obtained from 45 passengers and crew aboard the cruise ship Grand Princess have not been announced, and for now, the vessel and the 3,500 individuals on board remain in a holding pattern off San Francisco.
"Princess Cruises continues to work closely with the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and U.S. Centers of Disease Control (CDC) and as soon as official results from the COVID-19 testing are completed we will collaborate with them on an announcement," Princess Cruises said in a statement Friday afternoon.
In the meantime, the vessel has begun to take precautionary measures comparable to those deployed aboard the cruise ship Diamond Princess during her quarantine in Yokohama. The vessel has "quickly transitioned" its food service to provide room service to passenger staterooms; more TV and movie options have been added to in-room programming; free internet service has been provided to all; the ship's internet bandwidth has been increased; and passengers have been asked to remain in their rooms.
California Governor Gavin Newsom has made clear that Grand Princess will not be permitted to dock and discharge passengers until she has approval. In addition to addressing the current situation on board, California officials are attempting to find and evaluate passengers from the vessel's previous cruise; two individuals from that voyage tested positive for coronavirus, including one who has since died. On Friday, the Associated Press reported that six more people who were on the same voyage have also tested positive, including four individuals in California and two in Canada.
62 passengers from the previous voyage are still on board Grand Princess, and they were among an initial group of high-priority individuals selected for isolation and testing.
Passengers report onboard experiences
Advances in satcom connectivity have changed the way that ships can communicate with the outside world while at sea, and with the decision to offer ship-wide free internet aboard Grand Princess, passenger perspectives are readily available on social media. Two passengers – sisters Leah and Laura – have been live-streaming their experience from their stateroom on YouTube.
"Since we saw you yesterday, we have been quarantined. You may have picked that up from the news or some of our comments . . . They have now distributed menus for us, kind of like when you go to the hospital, and you get a menu for the next meal," said Laura.
Some passengers have reported that due to poor weather conditions, the weather decks have been off-limits and all personnel have been indoors. "The decks have been closed the whole time per dangerous storm conditions. Other than staying in our cabins the entire time, we have basically been elbow to elbow with the entire population of this ship," wrote passenger Laura Dunn on Thursday.
"Grand Princess captain has just announced that we are still awaiting test results. [He is] trying to coordinate for us to get some fresh air/exercise at some point, but has yet to be approved," wrote passenger Michelle Heckert on Twitter Friday. "Side note: crew are doing all they can and people are mostly calm."
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