Arizona woman onboard cruise ship ordered to stop sail due to coronavirus worries
PHOENIX - A cruise chip heading to the Grand Cayman Island was ordered to stop sailing by the CDC, after two crew members were on cruises before that had guests who tested positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus.
The order to stop sailing came after the cruise ship Grand Princess docked in Oakland, Calif. Monday afternoon with more than 21 people testing positive with the virus. There are over 3,000 people onboard that ship.
The ship heading to the Grand Caymen isn't entirely quarantined, and on Monday, one Arizona woman onboard spoke with FOX 10's Jennifer Martinez.
Kristy Gabriel says everything is going on as normal, except they can't dock. The shop was just anchored on shore, and it is now heading back to Florida.
Gabriel was supposed to be cruising for 10 days.
"They took us to Grand Cayman because they needed to meet us in a tender so the CDC could drop off the kits," said Gabriel, in a video conferencing interview.
According to a statement from Princess Cruises, both members continue to be asymptomatic, and they are mandated by the CDC to get tested. Both will remain in separate rooms.
"Everyone is on the cleaning crew. The crew members are scared, and I feel worse for them because they are in these tight corridors. There's a lot of panic," said Gabriel.
Gabriel said the ship is split 50-50, with some enjoying their time, hanging out at the pool, going to shows and other amenities while others have decided to self-quarantine.
Meanwhile, crew members are working tirelessly to keep things clean.
"They shut down a lot of the decks. There's extra cleaning and sanitizing," said Gabriel. "Right now, they told us they sent the tests over, and hopefully we will find out tomorrow. If they're negative, they should let us off like the Regal Princess, but if not, they will quarantine us for 14 days."
The ship should be at Port Everglades in Florida on Wednesday, but people onboard are not cleared to leave the ship until the CDC says so.