After days at sea, Princess cruise carrying some infected coronavirus passengers arrives in Oakland

Cruise ship passengers begin offloading process

Tom Vacar reports.

OAKLAND, Calif. - After nearly five days hovering in international waters with nowhere to go, the Princess cruise line carrying 3,500 passengers, some infected with coronavirus—finally landed Monday at the Port of Oakland.

Just about noon, SkyFox flew overhead, showing passengers standing on their balconies, getting fresh air in the sunshine as they pulled up to the dock. A family of three waved in delight as they touched land for the first time.

For the next hour or so, crews pulled covered tents to the doors of the ship, so that passengers would be forced to walk through covered areas when they finally exited. Workers wearing gloves and yellow protective gear erected a large tent by a platform where passengers were disembarking, and two tents displaying Canadian flags were also on the tarmac. At least 20 buses and five ambulances waited. Canada and the UK were among the countries sending chartered flights to take home citizens.

A fleet of ambulances waited nearby for those already sick from the virus.

Twenty-three people who needed acute medical care had been taken off the ship by late Monday afternoon, but it was not clear how many of them had tested positive for the virus, said Shawn Boyd, a spokesman for the California Office of Emergency Services.

As the ship sailed under the Golden Gate Bridge to enter the harbor, passenger Karen Schwartz Dever said “everyone was hollering and clapping.”

Cruise ship carrying coronavirus patients docks in Oakland

Tom Vacar reports from Oakland.

Erik Drake stood on land, holding up a sign that read "Welcome Home! UR not a #!"

His sign was an obvious response to the criticism from several local leaders, union workers, and citizens who have openly worried about getting infected from passengers on the ship and worried that state and federal health officials will not adhere to safety protocols as the passengers disembark.

"Right now we just need to get information and a lot of people just want to understand what's happening and we just haven't gotten anything," AB trucker Bill Aboudi said.

As per Gov. Gavin Newsom’s orders, those on board who need any type of emergency medical attention will get to disembark first.

Then, the 962 California residents aboard will get off next, which will take most of the day, the governor's office said. Those Californians will then be transferred to Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield or Marine Corps Air Station Miramar near San Diego for testing and quarantine.

Non-Californians will be flown by the federal government to facilities in other states, such as the Joint Base San Antonio Lackland in Texas or Dobbins Air Force Base in Georgia, Newsom said.

Newsom stressed that the passengers from out of state and other countries would be taken by shuttle to a separate section of Oakland International Airport, away from the general flying public. They will fly out on chartered planes.

Newsom promised the ship will only be docked during the duration of the disembarkment, which might last several days. Newsom emphasized that the passengers "will not be released into the general public."

As for the crew?

Princess cruise employees will be quarantined and treated aboard the ship, Newsom said. As soon as the passengers get off, the ship will leave Oakland and "remain elsewhere" for the duration of the crew's quarantine.

According to the World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover. In mainland China, where the virus first exploded, more than 80,000 people have been diagnosed and more than 58,000 have so far recovered.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.