Coronavirus: Plans for public safety as cruise ship passengers exit in Oakland - Los Angeles Times
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Plans set for keeping the public safe from coronavirus as cruise ship passengers exit in Oakland

The Grand Princess maintains a holding pattern about 30 miles off the coast of San Francisco on Sunday.
(Associated Press)
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The Grand Princess cruise ship — stuck off the San Francisco coast for days because of a coronavirus outbreak — will dock at noon Monday in Oakland.

Officials stressed they are taking aggressive action to keep passengers who might have the virus isolated from the larger population as they do the evacuation.

It is unclear how deeply the virus spread aboard the ship. Several days ago, the Coast Guard sent 45 tests, and 21 came back positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus.

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Here is what state and federal authorities plan to do with the more than 3,000 people onboard:

Getting off the ship

– Of the 2,500 passengers aboard the ship, those in need of immediate medical care or those with preexisting medical conditions will get off the ship first.

– The second group off will be California residents.

– People who live out of state will be taken to federal facilities closer to their homes.

– Before disembarking, they will have their temperatures taken and be assessed for either transfer or treatment at regional medical facilities or quarantine at state military bases.

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– Gov. Gavin Newsom warned it could be take several days to complete the process.

Out of Oakland

– The 962 California passengers who did not need immediate medical attention would be taken to Travis Air Force Base in nearby Solano County for 14 days of quarantine, with a smaller number going to the Marine Corps Air Station in San Diego.

– The remaining American passengers would be sent to military bases in Texas and Georgia.

– Oakland International Airport will handle charter flights to the other bases, and out of the country. “There will be no contact with the general population terminals at Oakland Airport,” Newsom said.

– Foreign passengers would be flown to their home countries.

The ship

– When the evacuation is finished, the Grand Princess would sail out of San Francisco Bay.

– The remaining 1,094 crew members — mostly foreign nationals — would remain quarantined onboard.

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