( Reuters) – Hundreds of travelers who boarded a cruise liner for Hawaii last month in sandals and sunglasses trudged off the coronavirus-stricken ship in face masks at the Port of Oakland, California, on Tuesday, headed to quarantine sites around the country.
The firmly managed disembarkation began on Monday, hours after the cruise liner Grand Princess reached a specially secured terminal throughout San Francisco Bay from its home port in the middle of cheers from tired passengers who had invested days at sea restricted to their staterooms.
Since Tuesday night, according to the cruise line, more than 1,400 guests had actually left the ship. They were seen submitting down a gangway using surgical masks, accompanied to chartered buses by workers dressed in complete protective gear.
Dealing with a press conference on Tuesday in Sacramento, the state capital, Guv Gavin Newsom said he hoped to complete getting all 2,400 some passengers off the ship within 72 hours.
Plans initially required the 1,100 team members, other than those requiring immediate medical care, to remain aboard the Grand Princess when it leaves port for a two-week quarantine duration at sea.
But Newsom told reporters that some crew members, many from the Philippines, may end up