One year later: Grand Princess Cruise passengers reflect on trip
What was supposed to be a relaxing cruise in March 2020 turned into a weeks-long COVID-19 quarantine process for passengers aboard the Grand Princess. Hear where some of them are today
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Updated: 8:09 AM PDT Mar 17, 2021
One year later: Grand Princess Cruise passengers reflect on trip
What was supposed to be a relaxing cruise in March 2020 turned into a weeks-long COVID-19 quarantine process for passengers aboard the Grand Princess. Hear where some of them are today
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Updated: 8:09 AM PDT Mar 17, 2021
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LISA: THIS MONTH MARKS ONE YEAR SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC HERE IN THE UNITED STATES. BRIAN: TONIGHT, KCRA 3’S EMILY MAHER TAKES US BACK TO WHAT TURNED OUT TO BE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA’S FIRST ENCOUNTER WITH THE VIRUS. IT’S THE STORY OF THAT PRINCESS CRUISE SHIP STRANDED AT SEA A STORY THAT EMILY COVERED FOR US RIGHT FROM VERY BEGINNING. >> A LIVE LOOK AT THE GRAND PRINCESS CRUISE SHIP. >> WE HAD LOTS OF ROOM AND A HUGE BALCONY, EXCITED TO GO AROUND THE ISLANDS. >> IT ALL ENDED. WHEN WE GOT THE WORD. EMILY: ABOUT 100 PEOPLE ON BOARD THE GRAND PRINCES ARE BEING TESTED FOR THE CORONAVIRUS, AND AND NOW IT IS A WAITING GAME TO FIND OUT IF ANYONE HAS IT. EMILY: IT WAS THE DAY AFTER SUPER TUESDAY AND I REMEMBER COVERING THE ELECTIONS, AND THE NEXT MORNING GETTING A PHONE CALL FROM AN ASSISTANT NEWS DIRECTOR SAYING WE’VE GOT THIS CRUISE SHIP THAT IS STUCK OF THE COAST OF CALIFORNIA. DO YOU WANT TO GO TO SAN FRANCISCO AND COVER IT? THIS IS SOMETHING TO DO WITH CORONAVIRUS. WE DID KNOW WHAT THAT WAS, REALLY, OR HAVE BIG THIS WOULD BE. >> TESTING KITS HAD TO BE FLOWN TO AND FROM THE CRUISE SHIP AFTER A TRAVELER DIED OF THE DISEASE. EMILY: THAT IS THE DAY FOR ME THAT EVERYTHING CHANGED. EVERYTHING CHANGED, AND IT NEVER WENT BACK TO NORMAL. >> THAT SHIP REMAINS IN LIMBO, BEING HELD IN INTERNATIONAL WATERS. WE WERE TRACKING THE SHIP AND IT WAS JUST MAKING FIGURE EIGHTS, GOING AROUND IN THE OCEAN AND WAITING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN TO THESE PEOPLE. MICHAEL BELL FROM CHICO KNOWS HE WON’T BE GETTING OFF THE GRAND PRINCESS CRUISE SHIP TONIGHT. >> WE ENDED UP GETTING CONFINED TO OUR ROOMS. UNFORTUNATELY, WE HAD ONE OF THE SMALLER ROOMS. EMILY: IT WAS RIGHT AROUND LUNCHTIME, AND ONE OF THE PASSENGERS SENT ME A VIDEO OF THE DINING ROOM, THE BUFFET AREA IN THE DINING ROOM, AND IT WAS PACKED WITH PEOPLE. IT SEEMED TO BE LIFE AS NORMAL ON THIS CRUISE SHIP. >> IT WAS WITHIN FIVE MINUTES THAT THE CAPTAIN CAME ACROSS ON THE SPEAKER AND SAID THAT THEY HAD GOTTEN NEWS THAT THERE’S POTENTIAL OF HAVING THE CORONAVIRUS ON OUR SHIP. I’M ALICE BARNHART. >> I’M DALE BARNHART. WE ARE ON THE GRAND PRINCESS. >> WE’VE BEEN CONFINED TO OUR STATE ROOM NOW SINCE THIS AFTERNOON. NOTHING REAL EXCITING HAPPENING. >> THE CAPTAIN CAME ON THE SPEAKER WHICH GOES THROUGH THE ENTIRE SHIP AND TOLD EVERYONE THAT THEY WERE ASKING PEOPLE TO GO TO THEIR CABINS AND QUARANTINE IN THEIR ROOMS. AT THAT TIME, QUARANTINE WAS NOT A WORD THAT WE REALLY HEARD ALL THE TIME. >> WE FELT BAD FOR THE PEOPLE WHO WERE ON THE INSIDE CABINS WITH NO WINDOWS AND JUST EACH OTHER. YOU COULD ONLY OPEN THE DOOR WHEN THEY KNOCKED AND LEFT YOUR FOOD. >> WE JUST MADE AN ADVENTURE OF IT. THERE WAS NOTHING ELSE WE COULD DO. EMILY: DID YOU EVER REALIZE OR HAVE THAT MOMENT WHERE YOU REALIZE, THIS IS A BIG DEAL? >> WHEN VICE PRESIDENT MIKE PENCE WAS ON TELEVISION EXPLAINING WHAT OUR SITUATION WAS, WE KNEW WE WERE AT THE TOP OF THE FEEDING CYCLE RIGHT THERE. >> 21 OF THOSE ON THE SHIP TESTED POSITIVE FOR THE VIRUS. >> PEOPLE WERE BREAKING UP AT 7:00 A.M. TO GET THEIR BREAKFAST THAT WAS BEING DELIVERED BY SOMEONE WEARING A MASK. THEY WERE SENDING ME PICTURES AND UPDATES. OR IF IT WAS THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT, IF IT WAS 11:00 AT NIGHT AND I HELICOPTER WAS ARRIVING THAT HAD SUPPLIES FOR THEM. THEY WERE SENDING ME VIDEO OF THAT. >> WE CURRENTLY ANTICIPATE DOCKING IN OAKLAND TOMORROW. EMILY: THE GRAND PRINCESS CRUISE SHIP IS PULLING INTO THE PORT OF OAKLAND AS WE SPEAK. WHEN THEY WENT UNDER THE GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE, EVERYONE CHEERED. THESE PEOPLE HAD BEEN STOCK OWNERSHIP IN THEIR ROOMS, IN THEIR TINY CABINS FOR FIVE DAYS NOW. AND FINALLY THEY’RE COMING UNDER A BRIDGE, THAT MEANS THEY ARE GOING TO GET TO GO HOME. IT WAS SO BIZARRE, BUT IT WAS REAL EXCITING, TOO. BUT NOT EVERYONE GOT THE GREEN LIGHT TO LEAVE TONIGHT. MANY ARE HAVING TO WAIT UNTIL TOMORROW TO HEAD TO THEIR NEXT DESTINATION, A 14 DAY QUARANTINE AT A MILITARY BASE. >> WE HAVE BEEN RECEIVING NO ACCURATE INFORMATION FROM THE GOVERNMENT AGENCIES. EMILY: I THINK THERE WAS A LOT OF FRUSTRATION OF JUST NOT HAVING ANY DEADLINE. HOW LONG ARE WE GOING TO BE FLOATING OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE OCEAN? WE DON’T KNOW. HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE SICK, WHAT ROOMS ARE THEY IN? WHERE WERE THEY, WAS I AROUND THEM? NOBODY KNEW ANYTHING. >> LOOKS LIKE WE ARE ONE OF THE ONLY ONES LEFT ON THIS FLOOR. BUT THAT’S OK. WE ARE FINALLY GETTING TO GO. >> FOR ME THE REALITY OF HOW SERIOUS THIS WAS HIT WHEN WE WERE GETTING OFF THE SHIP, WE WERE DISEMBARKING, AND THE PEOPLE HAD ON THE FULL SUITS FOR THE VIRUS. >> THESE PEOPLE WHO GOT ONTO THIS CRUISE SHIP TWO WEEKS AGO TO GO TO WHY ON A VACATION GETTING OFF THE SHIP IN OAKLAND TO PEOPLE IN FULL HAZMAT SUITS. >> THAT WAS PRETTY DARN WEIRD. I KEPT ASKING THEM, WHERE ARE WE GOING? >> AND THESE PASSENGERS GOT ONTO THESE CHARTER BUSES AND HAD NO IDEA WHERE THEY WERE GOING. NO ONE WOULD TELL THEM WHERE THEY WERE GOING. >> WHERE ARE WE GOING? >> I DON’T KNOW. >> THEY ARE HEADED TO MILITARY BASES TO BEGIN WHAT WILL BE A TWO WEEK QUARANTINE. >> GOING THROUGH THE GATE AT TRAVIS. >> WE’VE BEEN GETTING INFORMATION THAT WE WILL BE HERE FOR 14 DAYS. EMILY: BUT WHEN THEY WERE FINALLY ABLE TO GET HOME, I THINK THAT’S WHEN WE STARTED TO REALIZE THAT THE CORONAVIRUS IS GOING TO BE A MAJOR EVENT IN OUR HISTORY. >> WE DIRECT AS STATEWIDE ORDER FOR PEOPLE TO STAY-AT-HOME. >> THEY WENT THROUGH THE SHUT DOWN THAT WE WERE GOING TO GO THROUGH A WEEK AHEAD OF US. >> WE HAD NO IDEA. I JUST FIGURED IT WOULD BE ALL OVER WITHIN A MONTH OR SO AT THE MOST. >> SITTING HERE IT’S EASY TO THINK LOOKING BACK, I’M PLANNING TO MAKE A PHOTO BOOK FOR OUR FUTURE GENERATIONS THAT -- OF WHAT WE EXPERIENCE. I KEPT THINKING AS SOON AS THINGS COME ALONG, I WILL WRAP IT UP. HERE WE ARE A YEAR LATER AND WE