Returning home in self quarantine
MOHAVE COUNTY – On Monday, March 9 the Grand Princess Cruise ship, which has been floating off the coast of California since Thursday, March 5, was allowed to dock in Oakland. The ship was carrying over 2,000 passengers and 1,100 crew members. Of the 3,000+ onboard, 21 tested positive for 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19).
Of the over 3,000 passengers and crew on the Grand Princess, 17 passengers were from the state of Arizona. All 17 Arizona passengers are “asymptomatic “(having shown no symptoms of infection). A decision was made by the federal and State of Arizona governments to allow the 17 Arizona residents to return to their homes in Arizona. Of those 17 Arizona passengers, one is from Mohave County.
ADHS is making arrangements to transport these Arizona residents back to their home communities. The Mohave County Department of Public Health (MCDPH) will be notified when the local county resident arrives. The individual will self-quarantine for 14 days (meaning the person will be confined at home), and the MCDPH Nursing Division’s public health nurses will check in regularly. MCDPH Nursing Division’s public health nurses will monitor the individual for fever and other related symptoms, and ensure he/she has needed food and supplies.
After 14 days have passed, if the individual remains asymptomatic, the subject will be released from self-quarantine. In the event the individual develops symptoms of COVID-19, he/she will be tested and isolated. If the test is positive, the individual will remain in isolation and close monitoring by MCDPH Nursing Division’s public health nurses will continue, and a contact investigation will be implemented.
MCDPH does not feel there is an increased risk to the public by allowing the Mohave County resident to come back home and to self-quarantine. MCDPH will continue to monitor the resident and ensure the self-quarantine guidelines are being followed.
The American passengers began disembarking Monday, March 9 from the Grand Princess, and were placed under mandatory 14-day quarantine, with most going to military bases in California, Texas, and Georgia. Passengers who were severely ill and required acute medical attention were the first to disembark.
The majority of the passengers were from California (over 1,000) and were sent to the Travis Air Force Base, north of San Francisco, or to the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, in San Diego. American passengers from other states were transported to military bases in either Texas or Georgia. Foreign passengers were sent to their home countries to complete their 14-day quarantine.
MCDPH continues to encourage good hygiene practices, such as washing your hands frequently, covering your mouth if you are coughing or sneezing, and staying home if you are ill.
If you have any questions or concerns about COVID-19 please visit the CDC website at www.cdc.gov/Coronavirus or the Arizona Department of Health Services at https://azdhs.gov. You can also call the Mohave County Department of Public Health’s COVID-19 information line at 1-866-409-4099.
