Quarantine completed for Grand Princess passengers in US

 All the 850 passengers on board the coronavirus-striken Grand Princess cruise ship have completed their quarantine and departed the California-based Travis Air Force Base (AFB), it was announced.

The passengers arrived at Travis AFB on March 9 where they received daily screening for COVID-19 symptoms, basic medical care for other health conditions, meals, quarantine-appropriate activities, and transportation to their final destinations, all by the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Base said in a statement on Wednesday.

Those passengers who tested positive were transferred to non-military facilities overseen by federal medical staff, and those who developed acute symptoms were transferred to area hospitals, Xinhua news agency quoted the Travis AFB as saying.

"We can't overstate how much the cooperation and engagement of our federal, state, and local partners helped us meet this enormous challenge. Supporting the quarantine for these passengers assisted in slowing the spread of COVID-19 and with protecting the American public," said Robert Kadlec, HHS Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response.

"We are also grateful for the support received from local hospitals where seriously ill passengers were treated, as well as the healthcare providers who took care of them," he said.

As of March 21, of 469 persons aboard the Grand Princess with available test results, 78 tested positive for the coronavirus.

Two passengers who were quarantined at the Travis AFB died of complications due to the coronavirus after being transferred to local medical facilities, the HHS confirmed on March 26.

More than half of the foreign crew members, including 11 Chinese, have been repatriated to their home countries via charter flights at the cost of Princess Cruises, said the company operating the coronavirus-hit ship.

Some 330 crew members remained on board for quarantine and maintenance of essential safe operations of the ship, which is still anchored in the San Francisco Bay. IANS