The Marine Corps confirmed Tuesday that two groups of passengers from the cruise ship Grand Princess that was being held off San Francisco are headed to Miramar for coronavirus quarantine.
“MCAS Miramar can confirm the planned arrival of a small group of passengers from the Grand Princess cruise liner tonight, Mar. 10. The base will be standing by for a larger, second arrival expected sometime on Mar. 11. Further information is unavailable at this time,” officials tweeted shortly after 5 p.m.
The first flight reportedly arrived around 9:30 p.m. at the base.
Federal officials made the decision to evacuate passengers from the ship after 21 people tested positive for coronavirus. The ship with roughly 3,500 people aboard was allowed to dock in Oakland on Monday, and passengers from California were to be quarantined at either Miramar or Travis Air Force Base near Sacramento.
In a letter posted on Twitter, Miramar’s commanding officer Col. Charles Dockery said, “Our mission is to execute an effective and dignified reitegration process while we simultaneously ensure the safety and well-being of our residents and tenants.”
It will be the second quarantine administered at the base. In Feburary, Americans evacuated from Wuhan, China, were quarantined for 14 days.
