Coronavirus-Infested Cruise Ship Docks In Oakland After Being Turned Away From San Francisco

After being turned away from a port call in San Francisco on Thursday, the ‘Grand Princess’ cruise ship has docked at the Port of Oakland early Monday afternoon.

Already, at least 21 passengers and crew (mostly crew) have tested positive for the virus. Passengers and crew from 54 countries are on the ship, according to the cruise line. Many others have reported feeling ill via social media, where many passengers have been posting.

Though most passengers won’t exit for at least a day or two as the cruise line and local health officials process passengers and scan them for signs of the virus, at least they will no longer be drifting listlessly at sea. Many passengers were already beginning to get a little antsy over the weekend.

We are being involuntarily held on Grand Princess currently cruising just outside San Francisco. We are confined to our cabins and given limited options for meals. Apart from the original 45 people tested Thurs (2 days ago), no one we know of has been tested. What is happening???

— gadgetgirl6 (@gadgetgirl6) March 8, 2020

After the ‘Diamond Princess’ cruise ship was quarantined in Japan for two weeks, creating a diplomatic hot potato between Japan and the many countries, including the US, who pushed to evacuate their citizens from the ship.

Notably, scientists who submitted a sample of the virus found on the ship discovered similarities with the strain isolated in Washington State, which seems to support the company’s claim that the former passenger who succumbed to the virus in Cali – becoming the state’s first confirmed coronavirus death – might have caught the virus before boarding the cruise.

Hi all, we submitted the #COVIDー19 genome sequence from the viral strain linked to the #GrandPrincess cruise ship off coast of San Francisco to #GISAID. Phylogenetic analysis shows that it clusters with the outbreak clade circulating in Washington State. @UCSF #coronavirus

— Charles Chiu (@cychiu98) March 7, 2020

Footage of the ship passing under the Golden Gate Bridge has gone viral already, courtesy of ABC News.

The Grand Princess cruise ship passes under the Golden Gate Bridge as it prepares to dock in Oakland amid coronavirus outbreak. https://t.co/Bm3elVvU3f pic.twitter.com/I4YlnmlplL

— ABC News (@ABC) March 9, 2020

President Trump infamously said he would rather have kept the ship out at sea for fear of his ‘numbers’ (the number of confirmed coronavirus cases) doubling.