Thousands were stranded on a cruise ship off the California coast yesterday over fears of the new coronavirus after passengers and crew members on board developed symptoms. Officials delayed the return of the cruise Grand Princess to San Francisco yesterday night from Hawaii in order to carry out testing on board for those potentially infected.
A 71-year-old man who had been aboard the same vessel during its previous voyage to Mexico died after contracting the COVID-19 illness, becoming the first fatal case in California, said California Governor Gavin Newsom. He added, eleven passengers and 10 crew members were potentially infected with the virus.
Around 62 passengers who remained on board from the earlier Mexico voyage were restricted to their rooms for testing, said the Princess Cruises company in a statement.
According to the company’s website, the ship held about 2,500 passengers and is manned by 1,150 crew. The Grand Princess ship belongs to Princess Cruises, the same company which operated the coronavirus-stricken ship held off Japan last month on which more than 700 people on board tested positive.
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