Passengers from coronavirus-infected cruise probably won’t be quarantined at Camp Roberts
Camp Roberts will likely not house a quarantine of cruise ship passengers who tested positive for coronavirus, the San Luis Obispo County Public Health Department says.
County Health Officer Penny Borenstein told The Tribune in an email Monday morning that federal officials have informed the SLO County Public Health that they do not intend to send any passengers to the Army National Guard base.
“But that flip-flopped at least twice yesterday, so it’s fair to say that we will remain prepared should the expectation change again,” she wrote.
The county office released a statement Sunday warning residents that passengers from the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan could be evacuated to the area to wait out their quarantines. The ship has been docked in the port of Yokohama since late January, when a Hong Kong passenger who sailed on the ship tested positive for the virus, also known as COVID-19.
American citizens on board the ship were told after about 12 days in quarantine that they could return to the United States on one of two government-chartered planes, but were also informed they would face an additional 14-day confinement once back stateside.
Fourteen of the more than 300 passengers evacuated tested positive for COVID-19, according to a State Department statement Monday morning. Those passengers were expected to be sent to an appropriate location for continued isolation and care,” according to the statement.
Meanwhile passengers who have not tested positive for the virus, like Paso Robles social worker Sarah Arana, are being quarantined at Travis Air Force Base and other locations.
Once their 14-day stints are completed, the passengers will have been under quarantine for close to a month.
This story was originally published February 17, 2020 at 11:23 AM.
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