Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 9) — The passengers of coronavirus-hit Grand Princess cruise ship will be disembarking on Tuesday (Philippine time), but the hundreds of Filipino crew members won’t be able to go home yet, a foreign affairs official said Monday.
Over 2,800 passengers including nine Filipinos on board the ship docked in San Francisco, California are set to disembark in Oakland. But Department of Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Ed Meñez said 529 Filipino crew members and hundreds of their colleagues have to stay behind to complete quarantine requirements.
“Tomorrow, ibababa na ang passengers. There will be a quick disembarkation tapos lalabas ulit ang ship. Ang crew doon muna sila sa ship for quarantine procedures,” he said.
[Translation: Tomorrow, the passengers will quickly disembark, then the ship will go out again. The crew will stay on the ship for quarantine procedures]
DFA said it prefers to bring home the Filipinos instead of staying inside the ship to prevent a repeat of the fate of Diamond Princess cruise ship, which is criticized for its lapses in stopping the spread of coronavirus.
“Kung ano ang recommendations ng US authorities, we will follow that. But of course if there are no restrictions, ang gobyerno natin gusto pauwiin kaagad ang mga kasamahan natin — subject to the recommendation of our own DOH,” Meñez said.
[Translation: We will follow the recommendation of US authorities. But of course if there are no restrictions, our government would like send home our countrymen, subject to the recommendation fo our own DOH]
Of 46 people on the ship so far tested, 21 were found infected, US authorities announced on Monday. Of the 21 people who tested positive, 19 were crew members of the ship and two were passengers.
The Health Department is scouting for other options where repatriated Filipinos may be quarantined. The Filipinos previously brought home from China’s Wuhan province were quarantined in the New Clark City in Tarlac. Over 400 Filipino crew members from the Diamond Princess cruise ship are set to complete their 14-day quarantine on March 11 in the same facility.
The Grand Princess has been docked since Thursday when US officials learned a California man who traveled earlier on the same ship last month died of coronavirus.
