Grand Princess Cruise| one more Corona Virus cluster | one more epicenter of US outbreak |

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United Kingdom foreign office “in touch” with US authorities regarding Grand Princess cruise

From CNN’s Arnaud Siad in London

The United Kingdom Foreign Office is “in touch” with US authorities on the Grand Princess cruise headed to the port of Oakland, California, according to a statement by a spokesperson from the Foreign Office today.

The statement adds that British authorities “stand ready to provide support to any British nationals on board.”

Some context: The Grand Princess has been held off the California coast after 21 people on board tested positive for coronavirus. That ship is scheduled to dock in Oakland on Monday.

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Princess Cruises cancels sailing of the Regal Princess ship

From CNN's Hollie Silverman

Princess Cruises has canceled the sailing of the Regal Princess, according to a press release from Princes Cruises.

Two crew members who previously served on Grand Princess and transferred to Regal Princess are being tested for the novel coronavirus, the release said.

Disembarkation of the Regal Princess scheduled for Sunday has been delayed until the two crew members can be properly tested, according to the release.

As a result, the sailing of the Regal Princess scheduled to depart Sunday has been canceled.

The company is offering some reimbursement for hotels and other non-refundable out of pocket expenses, the release said.

The Regal Princess remains off shore by the coast of Fort Lauderdale, according to cruisemapper.com

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Canada will evacuate its citizens on the Grand Princess cruise ship by plane

From CNN's Laura Ly and Elizabeth Joseph

The Canadian government has secured a plane to evacuate its citizens who are aboard the Grand Princess cruise ship, according to Global Affairs Canada, the country’s diplomatic and consular relations ministry.

The decision was made “following a request for assistance from the Government of the United States to repatriate Canadians," the Canadian government said in a statement.

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Grand Princess cruise ship currently 10 to 12 miles offshore as it prepares to dock in Oakland on Monday

 

The Grand Princess cruise ship, carrying 3,500 people, is currently 10 to 12 miles offshore as it prepares to dock Monday in Oakland, California, Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a press conference Sunday.

The Grand Princess is roughly 2.5 hours away from Oakland. On board are 21 people who have tested positive for coronavirus, 19 crew members and two passengers.

“The ship will come in sometime tomorrow,” Newsom said. He could not provide any more details on the timing.

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