Following the news after multiply media outlets reported that four people on board Rubi Princess tested positive for COVID-19 after getting off the ship, Princess Cruises said there are no positive cases on board.
In a letter distributed today among Rubi Princess crew members the company said:
A new study released by the CDC says that the crew onboard quarantined cruise ship Diamond Princess were impacted by the spread of coronavirus. The study states that the crew working in the Food Service had the highest rate of reported positive cases of COVID-19.
Captain Gennaro Arma has finally returned home after three weeks spent in the port of Yokohama on the quarantined cruise ship Diamond Princess.
The disembarkation process of the crew from the coronavirus-stricken cruise ship Diamond Princess has started today at the Port of Oakland, California. First to disembark are around 400 Filipino crew members and 6 passengers which will be repatriated home with a 747 charter flight scheduled to leave late Saturday afternoon. Two more charter flights are scheduled on Sunday, from SFO for the remaining foreign national passengers and non-essential crew aboard the Grand Princess.
Princess Cruises announced today it is suspending voyages on all 18 of its cruise ships due to the global spread of the coronavirus. Princess Cruises has made a difficult decision and said the company will voluntarily pause global operations fleet-wide for two months (60 days), impacting scheduled voyages departing from March 12 to May 10.
Grand Princess crew will stay onboard after all passengers disembark the ship at Port of Oakland, California on Monday, March 9. Once disembarkation of the guests is completed, Grand Princess will set sail with all crew and most probably will remain off the coast of California. Plans for a crew quarantine are still being determined as the US authorities decide what to do. Is this the right decision to keep the crew isolated on the ship? Only the time will tell.
The non-profit organization World Central Kitchen, established by chef José Andrés and his wife, started delivering pre-packed meals and food supplies to the coronavirus-stricken cruise ship Grand Princess which is still off the coast of California.
Princess Cruises has canceled the March 7, voyage on Royal Princess. The cruise ship was scheduled to depart from Los Angeles (San Pedro), California on a 7 Night Mexican Riviera cruise, however, it was canceled at the last minute notice as the guest had already arrived at the cruise terminal.
During a press conference, after meeting with the cruise line executives in Port Everglades, Florida, Vice President Mike Pence said they are tracking another cruise ship that may have shared crew members with the Diamond Princess or the Grand Princess. Vice President Pence who is in charge of a task force to manage the U.S. response to the Coronavirus outbreak didn’t say which specific cruise ship the state authorities are tracking.
The fear of another Coronavirus outbreak on cruise ship became reality after 21 people tested positive for COVOD-19, including 19 crew members and 2 passengers on Grand Princess. The news was released just minutes ago by Vice President Mike Pence, adding that 24 tested negative and one test was inconclusive.
