The CoVID-19 virus continues to batter the United States as the government struggles to contain the fast-spreading disease.
Grand Princess to Dock on Monday
Princess Cruises, the operator of the Grand Princess cruise ship that was held off the coast of San Francisco over the past week, revealed early Sunday that the ship will finally dock in California on Monday.
According to the New York Times, the operator said the ship's passengers will be unloaded in Oakland. People who are critically ill will be transported out of the ship first while others will be sent to federal facilities for quarantine.
Crew Members to Remain Onboard
While passengers will be allowed to disembark, crew members will not be allowed to get out of the Grand Princess, a statement provided by Princess Cruises public relations director Negin Kamali revealed.
Kamali explained to USA Today that it is unclear what time the disembarking of passengers will begin and that other passengers who are not in immediate need of medical treatment or monitoring will need to wait for further instructions on when they will be allowed out of the coronavirus-infected ship.
Before the news came around, over 3,500 people onboard the Grand Princess were unsure what the White House would do as officials discussed whether the same process Japan implement on the CoVID-19-infected Diamond Princess would be adopted.
U.S. Marine Contracts Coronavirus
Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman confirmed on Saturday that a U.S. Marine at Virginia's Fort Belvoir tested positive of the novel coronavirus and is now receiving treatment, CNN reported.
Hoffman took to Twitter to reveal the news, explaining that the unnamed Marine had a recent trip abroad for business purposes but he is now being treated at Fort Belvoir Community Hospital. The government has also been informed about the situation.
The new coronavirus case is the first time a servicemember for the U.S. Marines stationed in the country contracted the disease.
U.S. Cases Pass 400
As of Saturday, the U.S. recorded 444 confirmed coronavirus cases, including 21 people from the stranded Grand Princess cruise ship.
At least 19 people have died in the country and at least 5,861 CoVID-19 tests were completed but it is unclear whether all of the people were tested since every person who has to undergo the test will have two swabs taken.
The first presumptive case of coronavirus in Washington, D.C. was also announced on Saturday. Mayor Muriel Bowser said the patient did not have a recent travel history outside the country but there is no evidence of community transmission in the area as of writing.
CPAC 2020 Conference Attendee Tests Positive
A person who attended the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) 2020 conference last week tested positive of the CoVID-19 strain, the gathering's organizer, American Conservative Union confirmed earlier on Saturday.
According to CBS News, U.S. President Donald Trump was at the said event. However, the attended who contracted the disease did not visit any of the events at the main hall, where Trump delivered his speech for the conference.
ACU chairman Matt Schlapp said in an interview with the Washington Post that he had an interaction with the patient in question during the event. Schlapp added that on the last day of the CPAC gathering, he shook Trump's hand on-stage.
The ACU has since urged attendees who have health concerns and other questions regarding the situation to contact the group or Maryland's Department of Health to ease their worries and find out how they can further protect themselves from the novel virus.
