- Twenty-one people aboard the Grand Princess cruise ship have tested positive for the novel coronavirus while the ship has remained in limbo off the California coast.
- Of those who tested positive, 19 were crew members, and two were passengers.
- The California Air National Guard dropped off testing kits via helicopter on Thursday.
- There are more than 3,500 passengers and crew aboard the ship, which has circling the California shore since Wednesday.
- For the latest coronavirus case total, death toll, and travel information, see Business Insider's live updates here.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
Twenty-one people have tested positive for the new coronavirus on the Grand Princess cruise ship, which has been circling off the California coast for days, officials announced Friday afternoon. Of those, 19 were crew members, and two were passengers.
Overall, 46 people were tested, 24 people tested negative, and one test was inconclusive, Vice President Mike Pence said in a press conference on Friday.
More than 3,500 people were aboard the ship for a two-week cruise from San Francisco to Hawaii when the trip ground to a halt on Wednesday. Officials announced that a 71-year-old California man died after likely being exposed to the coronavirus on a previous Grand Princess voyage several weeks ago, and a second former passenger was announced dead on Friday.
San Francisco health officials said Thursday that dozens of people currently aboard the cruise had displayed flu-like symptoms, prompting the California Air National Guard to drop off testing kits by helicopter.
The Grand Princess said in a Thursday update that 45 people, including passengers and crew, were tested and all guests were asked to stay in their rooms while the results were pending. Pence later said that this number was 46 people tested.
The cruise line, Princess Cruises, also announced it would cancel an upcoming voyage originally set to depart on March 7. The company said all guests would receive full refunds.
Princess Cruises has faced backlash amid the news, with passengers telling media the cruise line didn't follow appropriate health screening protocols.
One passenger told The Los Angeles Times they were merely asked to self-report any health issues on a piece of paper, though he noticed many passengers "coughing and hacking" and still being allowed to board.
"Why was there no health screening when we boarded? I had expected to have my temperature taken," another passenger tweeted at Princess Cruises. "People that spent thousands of dollars on a cruise are not going to answer truthfully on your health form."
The debacle is reminiscent of another ill-fated cruise from the same line: the Diamond Princess was held off the coast of Japan for weeks last month amid coronavirus fears. Ultimately more than 700 people aboard the cruise tested positive for the disease, and at least six have since died.
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