Carnival cruise ship guests cleared to disembark after coronavirus scare in Long Beach
LONG BEACH (KABC) -- Guests on a Carnival cruise ship in Long Beach were cleared to disembark Saturday night after a passenger fell ill and underwent testing for the coronavirus.
Authorities delayed the Carnival Cruise Line ship at the Port of Long Beach until the passenger could be tested for coronavirus. The test returned negative.
Firefighter-paramedics responded to the vessel docked near the Queen Mary in the morning and transported the passenger to a medical center, according to Long Beach Fire Department.
Thousands of people were stuck at the port for hours awaiting the coronavirus test results.
A video posted on social media by Beau Dodson showed passengers' luggage lined up in a seemingly endless row inside the ship as they waited for updates.
"Everyone has missed their flights," Dodson wrote.
Because the test results came back late Saturday night, passengers will spend another night on the ship but are free to leave Sunday morning.
Cruise ship in limbo off San Francisco coast as anti-virus controls spread
Carnival Panorama released a statement Saturday night, which said, in part:
The precautionary COVID-19 test on a Carnival Panorama guest has come back negative and guests have been cleared to disembark in Long Beach. The guests were notified by Carnival Panorama Captain Carlo Queirolo at 9:45 pm PT. The next Carnival Panorama cruise to the Mexican Riviera will now operate as a six-day cruise, departing on Sunday and those guests have also been notified.
Because of the late hour in receiving the results, the current guests will stay on board overnight and debark on Sunday morning.
Carnival Panorama arrived in Long Beach Saturday morning from a seven-day Mexican Riviera cruise. A guest on Carnival Panorama was taken to a hospital in Long Beach, Calif. for evaluation and a COVID-19 test ordered by public health authorities out of an abundance of caution. Public health officials required that all guests stay on the ship until the test results were back.
