Coronavirus outbreak cuts short cruise from San Francisco to Mexico after passenger dies

March 5, 2020

A cruise ship voyage that set sail from San Francisco is being turned around after a cluster of coronavirus cases discovered in Northern California were determined to be connected to a contaminated ship, the cruise line said.

Officials confirmed on Wednesday that a previous passenger who was exposed to the virus on a Grand Princess cruise ship has died.

The 71-year-old man tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday in Placer County and was in isolation at Kaiser Permanente Roseville.

March 5, 2020

The elderly patient had underlying health conditions and is the first to die from the illness in California, Placer County officials said. However, it's unclear if those pre-existing health conditions also contributed to his death.

He traveled from Feb. 11-21 on a Grand Princess "Mexican Riviera" cruise ship from San Francisco and was likely exposed to the virus while onboard.

Placer County health officials said the patient developed symptoms while on the cruise and was still symptomatic when he arrived back.

Doctors said the man had minimal community exposure between returning from the cruise and arriving at the hospital by ambulance on Feb. 27. He only had contact with one other person, authorities said.

Sonoma County also confirmed a COVID-19 case associated with that excursion.

Out of an abundance of caution, the Center for Disease Control is urging all other passengers on that trip to self-quarantine and monitor for any coronavirus symptoms such as fever, cough, or shortness of breath.

Experts say symptoms may appear after two to 14 days after exposure.

The cruise ship that departed from San Francisco and was expected to arrive in Ensenada, Mexico on Thursday is being diverted back. The ship is supposed to arrive on Thursday afternoon.

The City of San Francisco said it was notified by the United States Coast Guard and CDC that some passengers on the ship have influenza-like symptoms.

The city said it's ready to support the efforts of the USCG and CDC to provide appropriate care to passengers and crew onboard the vessel.

Guests on the vessel that is scheduled to return on Thursday are required to remain in their rooms until they evaluated by medical staff on the ship.

The CDC and state and county health authorities are contacting previous passengers and people who might have been exposed.

All 911 operators in the Bay Area are screening callers for respiratory issues so that emergency service workers are equipped to respond and aren't at risk of catching the virus, health officials said.

Following California's first coronavirus death, Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency on Thursday.