The US authorities are planning a flight tomorrow to repatriate Britons on the coronavirus-hit Grand Princess cruise ship, the British government said.
Officials in California were preparing today to receive thousands of passengers from the cruise ship that has been idling off the coast of San Francisco with at least 21 people aboard infected with the contagion.
The ship, which has been linked to two deaths from the disease, has been circling the Californian coast since March 4.
After being stranded for days it entered the San Francisco Bay area this evening as it headed to the port of Oakland where passengers were to disembark.
The Foreign Office today announced a flight carrying Britons who were on board the vessel will leave tomorrow evening and return to the UK on Wednesday afternoon.
The Princess Cruises Grand Princess cruise ship travelling in front of the Golden Gate Bridge on its way to a port in Oakland, California, today
Passengers wearing protective face masks on the deck of the Grand Princess cruise ship today
A spokesman said: ‘We continue to work closely with the US authorities to repatriate British nationals on board the Grand Princess.
‘The US are currently planning for a flight to leave tomorrow evening, returning to the UK on Wednesday afternoon.
‘We remain in contact with all British nationals on board and will continue to offer support.’
Medical personnel covered head to toe in protective gear woke passengers on the Grand Princess this morning to check whether they have symptoms of COVID-19.
Fences were being installed at an 11-acre site at the Port of Oakland, as authorities readied flights and buses to whisk the 2,421 passengers aboard the Grand Princess to military bases or their home countries for a 14-day quarantine.
The ship will then leave with the remaining 1,094 crew, who are mostly foreign nationals, quarantined on board. It is expected the process will take up to three days.
The cruise ship was stranded off the California coast due to the coronavirus outbreak and is pictured in its way to dock in Oakland today
Of the ship’s 2,421 passengers, California Governor Gavin Newsom said those needing medical attention will leave the ship first, starting around noon local time, followed by the 962 California residents on board.
He said the process of disembarking all passengers was expected to take several days.
Newsom added: ‘California residents who disembark will be transferred to Travis Air Force Base or Marine Corps Air Station Miramar for testing and quarantine.
‘After California residents are disembarked non-Californians will be transported by the federal government to facilities in other states.’
He said the 1,113 crew on board will be quarantined aboard the ship, adding that if any need emergency medical attention, they will be transported to a medical facility in California.
British couple, Denise and Leo McConkey from London, slammed the British government earlier today for failing to care about UK passengers.
Before arriving in Oakland they claimed they had not been tested and ‘don’t know what will happen to us’, having not received any information from the Government or crew on the cruise liner.
Passengers wearing protective face masks and dancing on the deck of the Grand Princess cruise ship before it arrived in Oakland today
Newsom and the mayor of Oakland sought to reassure the public that none of the Grand Princess passengers would be exposed to the US public before completing the quarantine.
The Port of Oakland was chosen for docking because of its proximity to an airport and a military base, Newsom said.
US passengers will be transported to military bases in California, Texas and Georgia, where they’ll be tested for the COVID-19 virus and quarantined.
About 1,100 crew members, 19 of whom have tested positive for the new virus, will be quarantined and treated aboard the ship, which will dock elsewhere, Newsom said.
Grand Princess passenger Karen Schwartz Dever said it felt ‘awesome’ to finally be in the San Francisco Bay.
‘Everyone was hollering and clapping as we entered the harbour,’ she added.
The Grand Princess had been idling off the coast for days after 21 passengers and crew tested positive for the COVID-19 virus.