DIAMOND PRINCESS

Tyrone Siu via ReutersRemember back in 2020 at the start of the pandemic when the Diamond Princess taught the world everything they never wanted to know about contagion as the then-novel coronavirus tore through the massive cruise ship, infecting 712 out of the 3,711 passengers? Half of Infected Diamond Princess Passengers and Crew Had No SymptomsWell, fast forward two years and another ocean liner—Royal Caribbean’s Spectrum of the Seas— is stuck in a similarly hellish limbo with 2,500 passenger

SAN ANTONIO – Wednesday marks one year since a San Antonio couple was allowed to return home after a period of quarantine at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland. The order to stay on the military base came after the couple and other U.S. citizens were pulled from a cruise ship where some passengers tested positive for COVID-19. The couple was told to stay inside their cabin on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship as it sat off Japan’s coast. Some of those passengers, including Don and Natty, were able to board a plane back to the United States. Don remembers when he was finally able to go back to his home in San Antonio.

Cruise lines are among the businesses that have suffered the most fallout from the coronavirus outbreak. Several major cruise lines, however, are not incorporated in America. Cruise lines also typically employ many foreign workers on their ships, who can be exempt from U.S. minimum wage requirements. Speaking at a coronavirus task force briefing Thursday, Trump said he liked the idea of cruise lines registering in the U.S. to get aid. "Directing federal funding to the cruise industry during a public health crisis will not slow the spread of the coronavirus nor advance passenger safety," she added.

Tyler and Rachel Torres celebrated their six-month wedding anniversary in March, but they joke that they've now been married for 15 years. "There's not much you don't find out about someone when you are quarantined with them," Rachel Torres said. The couple, who delayed their honeymoon, were first quarantined together in a room on the Diamond Princess cruise ship, which is owned by Carnival unit Princess Cruises, moored just off the coast of Japan. This led to U.S. officials requiring yet another quarantine, this time on a military base. Check out this video to see how much it cost the couple, and how they were able to navigate the extended time off with their employers.

The coronavirus survived for up to 17 days aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship, living far longer on surfaces than previous research has shown, according to new data published Monday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The study examined the Japanese and U.S. government efforts to contain the COVID-19 outbreaks on the Carnival-owned Diamond Princess ship in Japan and the Grand Princess ship in California. They noted that as of March 17, there were at least 25 cruise ship voyages with confirmed COVID-19 cases that were detected either during or after the cruise ended. The researchers found that 712 of 3,711 people on the Diamond Princess, or 19.2% were infected by COVID-19. The Diamond Princess and Grand Princess accounted for more than 800 total COVID-19 cases, including 10 deaths.

An emergency services van of the Japan Self-Defense Force drives away from the Diamond Princess cruise ship, operated by Carnival Corp., sitting docked in Yokohama, Japan, on Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2020. Shares of Carnival Corp. slid by more than 20% in pre-market trading Thursday after its Princess Cruises line announced it is suspending all operations for two months due to concerns over the rapidly spreading COVID-19 pandemic. Princess Cruises President Jan Swartz said the company is taking the "bold action" to reassure investors of its commitment to the well-being of its passengers. Shares of Carnival, which owns Princess Cruises, have fallen more than 57% since Jan. 1. Current Princess voyages that are underway and scheduled to end before March 17 will carry on as planned, the company said.

A coach and an ambulance travel towards the Diamond Princess cruise ship, operated by Carnival Corp., docked at dusk in Yokohama, Japan, on Sunday, Feb. 16, 2020. The cruise industry has submitted a proposal to the White House that would impose restrictions on travelers over the age of 70 as well as those with chronic medical conditions as the coronavirus spreads, two sources familiar with the matter told CNBC. The proposal would restrict people over the age of 70 from getting on a ship unless they can provide written consent from a doctor, the sources said. Cruise officials were expected to meet at the White House Wednesday to receive a response to the proposal. Earlier this week, the U.S. State Department urged Americans not to travel on cruise ships.

Lackland empty awaiting on arrival of Grand Princess evacueesAmid heavy fog, American passengers evacuated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan disembark Feb. 17, 2020, from a plane at Kelly Field. The group of 144 passengers arrived in San Antonio to undergo quarantine at a hotel on Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland. less Amid heavy fog, American passengers evacuated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan disembark Feb. 17, 2020, from a plane at Kelly Field. The group of 144 passengers arrived in San Antonio to undergo ... more Photo: William Luther /Staff Photographer Photo: William Luther /Staff Photographer Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Lackland empty awaiting on arrival of Grand Princess evacuees 1 / 1 Back to GalleryThe hotel at Joint-Base San Antonio-Lackland that has hosted more than 200 evacuees from coronavirus hot spots is now empty, but a new group of evacuees from the Grand Princess cruise ship should arrive there for quarantine this week. The Grand Princess cruise ship, where at least 21 people have contracted the new coronavirus, docked in the Oakland, Calif. port on Monday afternoon.

Mayor: Evacuees from the Grand Princess could be in San Antonio by Monday for quarantineAmerican passengers evacuated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan disembark Feb. 17, 2020, at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland. Evacuees from the Grand Princess could be headed to San Antonio in March. less American passengers evacuated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan disembark Feb. 17, 2020, at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland. At least one former passenger of the Grand Princess, a California man, has died of the virus, health officials there have said. That includes not releasing the ships passengers into the general public in San Antonio.

Sources: More evacuees coming to Lackland for coronavirus quarantineAmerican passengers evacuated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan disembark Feb. 17, 2020, at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland. They were quarantined on base because of the spreading coronavirus. Evacuees from the Grand Princess could be headed to San Antonio in March. less American passengers evacuated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan disembark Feb. 17, 2020, at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland. After being evacuated from the ship by the State Department, 144 of the Diamond Princess passengers were flown Feb. 17 for a two-week quarantine at a hotel on Lackland.

Two coronavirus patients released from a San Antonio hospital accompanied to airportDiamond Princess cruise ship evacuees arrive at the San Antonio International Airport Tuesday after being released from quarantine at JBSA-Lackland. Diamond Princess cruise ship evacuees arrive at the San Antonio International Airport Tuesday after being released from quarantine at JBSA-Lackland. Photo: William Luther /William Luther Photo: William Luther /William Luther Image 1 of / 52 Caption Close Two coronavirus patients released from a San Antonio hospital accompanied to airport 1 / 52 Back to GalleryThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released two coronavirus patients from a San Antonio hospital, less than a week after it erroneously discharged a patient who still had the virus in her system. READ ALSO: Everything we know about the coronavirus in San AntonioAll three people were accompanied to San Antonio International Airport, she said. Lauren Caruba covers health care and medicine in the San Antonio and Bexar County area.

FILE PHOTO: A chartered Boeing 747-400 plane carrying carrying evacuated South Koreans from Wuhan, the epicenter of a virus outbreak in China, arrives at Gimpo International Airport in Gimpo, South Korea, January 31, 2020. - Some 30 British passengers arrived back home on Feb. 22 from the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan. - Britains final evacuation flight from Wuhan, carrying more than 200 people, landed in Britain on Feb. 9. A plane carrying 83 British and 27 European Union nationals from Wuhan landed at the end of January. (bit.ly/2HOfYtg)- A flight carrying 129 Canadians evacuated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship landed on Feb. 21.

Diamond Princess evacuees to be released from coronavirus quarantine at Lackland TuesdayMayor Ron Nirenberg, left, and Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff, right, listen to Anita Kurian, San Antonio Metropolitan Health assistant director, talk about the latest developments with the coronovirus evacuees in San Antonio on Monday, March 2, 2020, at Plaza de Armas. Now, only individuals who have been symptom-free for the full 14-day quarantine period will be released. Some of the evacuees are being bused directly to the San Antonio International Airport in small groups based on their flight times. Evacuees will be transported from Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland to San Antonio International Airport in shifts. Assistant City Manager Colleen Bridger noted the evacuees set to be released showed no symptoms over the 14-day quarantine.

Im pleased that the CDC has made changes, and Im comfortable that the plan as presented will minimize the risk of exposure, San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg said in a statement. Of the group of evacuees scheduled to be released from quarantine today, some are Texas residents who requested rental cars to drive home. In an effort to quell community concerns, the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District opened a COVID-19 hotline for residents to ask questions about the virus. Evacuees currently at the Texas Center for Infectious Disease who meet CDC guidelines will begin to depart this week. Asked if San Antonio can expect to receive any more coronavirus evacuees, Bridger said, I hope not.

(Reuters) - The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday confirmed two new cases of coronavirus in the country that included an American evacuated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship, and the agency said 20 more cases were reported by public health labs. The CDC update brings the total number of confirmed infections within the country to 16, apart from the 48 cases among repatriated citizens from Wuhan and the cruise ship. Cases reported by public health labs that are yet to be confirmed by the agency now stand at 27.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed three more cases of coronavirus over the weekend, bringing the total number of positive cases in San Antonio to six. Knight, who is running the quarantine operation, said that neither the staff working with evacuees or the general population are at risk, despite the climb in positive cases locally. Hospital selection is overseen by the Southwest Texas Regional Advisory Council (STRAC), a network of hospitals and first responders who maintain the regional trauma and emergency health care system for San Antonio and the surrounding 22 counties. Eric Epley, executive director at STRAC, said the protocol for determining which health care facilities will treat patients testing positive for novel coronavirus, known as COVID-19, was based on a plan previously in place for the treatment of patients testing positive for Ebola. The [City of] San Antonio hazmat team and the San Antonio Fire Department team work closely with teams at those hospitals to ensure appropriate transport and safety, Epley said, noting the plan for coronavirus evacuees is only slightly different than for those who test positive for Ebola.

(Reuters) - The Trump administration has backed off plans to quarantine patients from the Diamond Princess cruise ship stricken with coronavirus at a federal facility in Alabama, the states governor and a U.S. senator said on Sunday. He told me that his administration will not be sending any victims of the Coronavirus from the Diamond Princess cruise ship to Anniston, Alabama. It was unclear where those patients would be quarantined if the plan to house them in Alabama had been scrapped. More than 630 passengers of the Diamond Princess have been confirmed as infected with coronavirus and at least three have died. The British cruise ship, which sails primarily in Southeast Asia, is quarantined near Tokyo.

The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19, or coronavirus, among people quarantined at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland has now reached six.The three new cases diagnosed by the Centers for Disease Control are among the evacuees from the Diamond Princess cruise ship that arrived in San Antonio a week ago . All have since been transferred and are still receiving medical care in isolation. From local politics and culture to national news that hits close to home, San Antonio Current has been keeping San Antonio informed for years. Its never been more important to support local news sources. If quality journalism is important to you, please consider a donation to San Antonio Current.

The two new cases were confirmed as an evacuee from Wuhan, China, tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this month. First coronavirus evacuees leave JBSA-Lackland after quarantine; 1 patient ‘treated and transferred’A total of 329 Americans were evacuated off the ship, which remains docked at a Japanese port, because they were at risk of contracting the virus. Messonnier said five evacuees transported to Travis tested positive, and another 11 passengers who tested positive are being treated at the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s quarantine unit in Omaha. Thursday marked the end of the 14-day quarantine for the first group of coronavirus evacuees at Lackland from China. This week, local officials called for coronavirus evacuees to stay on a military base instead of being transported to local hospitals.

Two people evacuated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship and quarantined at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in San Antonio to three, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed Friday. CDC officials said they expect additional cases of the virus will be confirmed among the group of cruise ship evacuees, 144 of whom arrived in San Antonio Monday from Japan for the mandatory 14-day quarantine period. So far, 18 Americans repatriated from the ship have tested positive for the virus, according to the CDC. Our residents should know that the federally ordered quarantine is functioning as it should, San Antonio Metro Health Director Dawn Emerick said in a written statement. Those evacuees, who are in quarantine on Lackland Air Force Base, who test positive for COVID-19 remain in isolation from the general public and other evacuees.Ninety evacuees who completed their quarantine period at Lackland were released Thursday.

Kevin Frayer | Getty ImagesChina's National Health Commission reported an additional 114 coronavirus deaths, and 394 new confirmed cases. That brings the total deaths in China to 2,118 and confirmed cases to 74,576 cases. South Korea confirmed its first coronavirus death and 22 new confirmed cases. In its annual report to Congress, the White House highlighted GDP growth that has outpaced expectations and a jobless rate that has hit historic lows. In the report, the White House repeatedly compares the economy's performance under current President Donald Trump to that of former President Barack Obama.

14 coronavirus-positive evacuees in the U.S. as more than 300 cruise ship passengers remain in JapanPublished: February 18, 2020, 9:45 amThe State Department said Monday that 338 Americans were evacuated from the ship, which remains docked at Japan’s Yokohama port due to the virus.

A “very slow” process has brought a local couple once quarantined on the Diamond Princess cruise ship back to San Antonio, but they haven’t made it home. Feds: 7 cruise ship passengers that landed at Lackland tested positive for coronavirus, sent to NebraskaThe number of Americans evacuated from Japan. Don and his wife, Natty, were evacuated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship. For the departing Americans, the evacuation cut short a 14-day quarantine that began aboard the cruise ship Feb. 5. The Department of Defense said JBSA-Lackland’s coronavirus quarantine zone will remain available to patients through mid-March.

The Diamond Princess cruise ship held by far the largest cluster of cases outside China, with more than 400 people infected out of some 3,700 on board. Washington previously flew hundreds of Americans from China to military bases in the United States, and then arranged to bring back the 338 cruise ship passengers once their 14-day quarantines on board had expired. A further 200 U.S. citizens were stuck in Cambodia, among them 92 still on board another cruise ship, the Westerdam, that was also affected by the virus. The 14 passengers who had tested positive were immediately moved to a separate facility in Omaha, Nebraska, officials said. Like other repatriated Americans, the remaining passengers will be quarantined on the bases for 14 days.

U.S. officials said early Monday that 14 American passengers evacuated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan had tested positive for the new coronavirus, but were allowed on flights to military bases in California and Texas. The Diamond Princess set sail Jan. 20 and was placed under quarantine by Japanese officials on Feb. 5 after a passenger who departed the cruise ship in Hong Kong tested positive for the coronavirus. Many of the posts have been lighthearted, but on Saturday, Carl Goldman wrote that one of their traveling companions had been diagnosed with the COVID-19 virus. Its a sad day aboard the Diamond Princess, he wrote. She was taken by ambulance to a hospital about four hours away in Fukushima, where her husband was not permitted to join her, Goldman wrote.

A California passenger aboard the Diamond Princess told CNBC on Monday it "can be a little bit depressing" when thinking about how much longer he and his wife must remain on the quarantined cruise ship: likely nine more days. "Imagine being trapped in your bathroom," said Smith, explaining what life is like for some passengers over the last few days. The Diamond Princess cruise ship, which is operated by Carnival's Princess Cruises, is carrying about 3,700 passengers and crew at the port of Yokohama, south of Tokyo. The company announced last week that it was quarantining the ship for two weeks after a previous guest, who didn't have any symptoms while aboard the ship, tested positive for the coronavirus. The illness is capable of spreading before symptoms show, and about 20% of patients become severely ill, leading to pneumonia and respiratory failure, health officials say.

The Japanese Health Ministry on Friday confirmed 41 new cases of the new coronavirus on a quarantined cruise ship off the coast of Japan. The Diamond Princess cruise ship, which is operated by Carnival's Princess Cruises, is carrying about 3,700 passengers and crew at the port of Yokohama. The ministry said all those who tested positive for the new coronavirus will be removed and transported to local hospitals. "Our team on board Diamond Princess, supported by our shoreside colleagues, is actively working to care for our guests to ensure their comfort and well-being," Princess Cruises said. Meanwhile, Princess Cruises has rolled out new entertainment offerings, it said, to keep everyone on the ship sane, such as puzzles, trivia, newspapers, in-cabin fitness videos and more.

Carnival's Princess Cruises said it has placed 3,700 passengers and crew under mandatory quarantine for two weeks after 10 people aboard a cruise ship in Yokohama, Japan, tested positive for the new coronavirus. The company said a previous guest, who didn't have any symptoms while aboard the ship, tested positive for the coronavirus on Saturday six days after leaving the Diamond Princess. The ship was being held in Japan for 24 hours while Japanese health authorities assessed the 3,700 passengers and crew on board. The ship will be quarantined for at least 14 days, the company said, as is required by the Japanese Ministry of Health. "We were notified that amongst the samples that have completed testing, 10 people have tested positive for coronavirus."