First it was the Diamond Princess, now it's the Grand Princess
10 coronavirus cases on the Diamond Princess cruise ship quickly morphed into more than 700 cases and now another ship -- the Grand Princess -- is sailing back to San Francisco after an outbreak on an earlier voyage.
A message from the cruise line addressed to guests said that the CDC is "investigating a small cluster" on a previous voyage from the ship from Feb 11-21.
Some cruise ship passenger stay aboard for extended periods through multiple trips -- particularly in the winter. The ship is now skipping a planned stop in Mexico and will return to San Francisco Thursday. All the passengers who had been on board the ship since Feb 21 were told to stay in their rooms.
Dear Princess Guest:
I wish to advise you that today we have been notified by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that they are investigating a small cluster of COVID-19 (coronavirus) cases in Northern California connected to our previous Grand Princess voyage that sailed roundtrip San Francisco from February 11 to February 21. We are working closely with our CDC partners and are following their recommendations.
For those guests who sailed with us on our previous voyage and may have been exposed, in an abundance of caution, the CDC requires you to remain in your stateroom until you have been contacted and cleared by our medical staff. A member of our medical team will be calling you between the hours of 8:00 AM and 11:00 AM this morning. You may order room service while you wait for the medical screening to be completed, and we apologize for any inconvenience.
It's going to be a tough year for the cruise industry.
