Coronavirus: 3,400 people trapped on “Grand Princess” cruise ship, Mosques, churches closed in Bethlehem

The ship is scheduled to remain at sea until all it’s passengers with the coronavirus symptoms undergo tests to ascertain whether they are infected with the virus.

2,383 passengers and 1,100 crew are currently trapped on the “Grand Princess” cruise ship off the coast of San Francisco.

And they will continue to be so far.

For they are not allowed to land until everyone with symptoms of coronavirus has been tested.

The decision was made by California Governor, Gavin Newsom.

The Grand Princess is linked to the state’s first coronavirus death, a 71-year-old man who sailed from San Francisco to Mexico last month.

Helicopter takes the samples

Guests on the ship are being tested for corona these days by the US Coast Guard by helicopter handing them samples and subsequently taking them back.

– 35 of the ship’s passengers have shown signs of influenza while on the ship (…). Once we get the results, the state and our Centers for Disease Prevention (CDC) will decide where to ship the berth, says Mary Ellen Carroll, San Francisco’s emergency response chief.

According to CNN , about 100 passengers are to be tested.

They must then stay in their cabin until it is clear whether they are infected with corona.

The ship was about to make a team in Mexico when it was told to turn around.

And the wait is right now for the many passengers.

Michele Smith is one of them and she has filmed life on board..

– Here we have some who are getting ready to be tested. And in the meantime, the staff is cleaning cash, she says on the video.

Watch Michele Smith’s video above. The head of San Francisco’s emergency preparedness gives a status of the situation here.

Play video47 SECONDS

Princess Cruises in the media again, again

It is far from the first time that one of Princess Cruises’ ships is pulling corona headlines.

Now with the ship “Grand Princess”, and a few weeks ago it was on the ship “Diamond Princess” that a true coronara ride took place.

“Diamond Princess” became known when more than 3,000 people were detained in February because hundreds were infected with corona.

The cruise ship was quarantined on February 3 after a passenger who had landed in Hong Kong was tested positive for the virus.

All passengers have now left the cruise ship.

Six of the infected have lost their lives.

Mosques and churches in Bethlehem will be closed due to the Covid-19 epidemic, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said. The measures also concern the Church of the Birth of the Lord, the place where, according to the Christian tradition, Jesus was born, writes Agerpres . Also, a state of emergency was declared in Palestine because of the coronavirus.

The closure for a period of 14 days comes just a few weeks before Easter, when thousands of pilgrims visit the church.

Under the measures, all hotel reservations for tourists visiting the West Bank will be canceled, according to Wafa, in the context where there are currently several suspected cases of infection with the new coronavirus at a hotel in Bethlehem.