4,000 passengers stranded on board ANOTHER cruise ship as one person is tested for coronavirus

Up to 4,000 passengers are stranded on board another cruise ship off the coast of California while they wait for the outcome of a coronavirus test on one sick passenger.

The Carnival Panorama cruise ship has been docked in Long Beach and passengers are being ordered to stay on the boat while the woman, whose age is unknown, is tested for the deadly disease. 

If the case is confirmed, this marks the latest in a string of outbreaks aboard cruise ships, which are fast becoming hotbeds for the virus. 

At least 21 people on the Grand Princess cruise ship off the coast of California have tested positive for coronavirus so far. 

The Carnival Panorama cruise ship (above) has been docked in Long Beach and passengers are being ordered to stay on the boat while the woman, whose age is unknown, is tested for the deadly disease

If the case is confirmed, this marks the latest in a string of outbreaks aboard cruise ships, which are fast becoming hotbeds for the virus

If the case is confirmed, this marks the latest in a string of outbreaks aboard cruise ships, which are fast becoming hotbeds for the virus

This followed a mass outbreak on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship last month, which resulted in 700 being infected and six people dying as it fast became a hive of illness off the coast of Japan.

The Carnival Panorama remained docked Saturday evening after the guest identified as a possible coronavirus case was transported off the ship to a local hospital that morning to be tested.

The Centers for Disease Control ordered that all passengers stay on the ship pending results of the test.

The ship will not set sail until results come back confirming a negative test.

Plans have not been revealed for the possible scenario that a positive test is returned.  

The Carnival Panorama remained docked Saturday evening after the person identified as a possible case was transported off the ship that morning to a local hospital to be tested

The Carnival Panorama remained docked Saturday evening after the person identified as a possible case was transported off the ship that morning to a local hospital to be tested

The Centers for Disease Control ordered that all passengers stay on the ship pending results of the test and that the ship will not set sail until results come back confirming a negative test. Plans have not been revealed for the circumstance where a positive test is returned

The Centers for Disease Control ordered that all passengers stay on the ship pending results of the test and that the ship will not set sail until results come back confirming a negative test. Plans have not been revealed for the circumstance where a positive test is returned

Kate Kuykendall, a spokesperson for Long Beach’s joint information center, confirmed the female guest was being tested but insisted there were no confirmed cases in Long Beach or on the cruise ship.  

‘We want to make sure that residents know that we care about our residents and visitors and those who live and work in the city of Long Beach,’ she said. 

‘Our primary concern is for all the parties involved and maintaining the safety of the public.’ 

Matt Mitcham, cruise director for Carnival Panorama, issued a statement on Facebook seeking to quell fears, saying testing was only being done ‘out of an abundance of caution’.

He said the ship would be held in Long Beach until ‘at least 6pm PST related to a medical situation with one of our debarking guests’. 

Mitcham said the company ‘cannot discuss their specific condition’ but confirmed that the guest was a US citizen who had not recently traveled internationally and does not meet the CDC criteria that puts them in an at risk category for coronavirus. 

Passengers wait for news on the Carnival Panorama cruise ship in Long Beach, California, as they are stuck on board

Passengers wait for news on the Carnival Panorama cruise ship in Long Beach, California, as they are stuck on board

Officials confirmed the female guest was being tested but insisted that it was 'out of an abundance of caution' and that there were no confirmed cases in Long Beach or on the cruise ship

Officials confirmed the female guest was being tested but insisted that it was ‘out of an abundance of caution’ and that there were no confirmed cases in Long Beach or on the cruise ship

Matt Mitcham, cruise director for Carnival Panorama, confirmed that the guest was a US citizen who had not recently traveled internationally and does not meet the CDC criteria that puts them in an at risk category for coronavirus

Matt Mitcham, cruise director for Carnival Panorama, confirmed that the guest was a US citizen who had not recently traveled internationally and does not meet the CDC criteria that puts them in an at risk category for coronavirus

Holidaymakers planning to join the voyage at Long Beach have also been kept at bay on dry land

Holidaymakers planning to join the voyage at Long Beach have also been kept at bay on dry land 

One woman stranded on the ship said passengers are not being isolated in their rooms and have been allowed to gather in the bars and communal areas. 

Holidaymakers planning to join the voyage at Long Beach have also been kept on dry land.

Passengers planning to board the ship for Saturday’s departure told LB Post that warning signs started emerging that morning when they were told to arrive an hour later than planned.

They were later told the issue was a pending medical test and that results would be available that evening. 

People busied themselves with a trip to local restaurants while others ordered from food delivery services as they waited for news.

Passengers planning to board the ship for Saturday's departure have not been allowed to board and have been busying themselves in the local area as they wait for news

Passengers planning to board the ship for Saturday’s departure have not been allowed to board and have been busying themselves in the local area as they wait for news 

Sherrie Trisdale, who flew from Nashville to board Saturday, told LB Post she was glad the cruise line was taking precautions. 

‘There’s nothing we can do about it, it’s better know that they’re taking great precautions rather than not,’ she said. 

The Carnival Panorama is a new ship that takes passengers on week-long voyages stopping in Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan and Cabo San Lucas.  

It holds around 4,000 passengers, but it is now known exactly how many passengers are on board.  

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GRAND PRINCESS CRUISE SHIP PASSENGERS STILL IN LIMBO 

As news of the latest cruise ship stuck in limbo off the coast of California emerged Saturday, relatives of the 3,500 passengers stranded on board the coronavirus-hit Grand Princess pleaded for their loved ones to be evacuated before they become seriously ill.

At least 21 people on the Grand Princess have contracted Covid-19 – just under half the number of those tested. California’s Governor, Gavin Newsom, is now refusing to allow the vessel to dock in San Francisco.

On Saturday, the daughter of one 90-year-old passenger said her father’s health is rapidly deteriorating as he remains stuck on the cruise liner.

‘Keeping people on the ship is going to be a death sentence for many of the elderly passengers,’ panic-stricken Lisa Egan told The Telegraph.

The Grand Princess cruise ship passes the Golden Gate Bridge as it arrives from Hawaii in San Francisco. Twenty-one people on board have tested positive for the coronavirus

The Grand Princess cruise ship passes the Golden Gate Bridge as it arrives from Hawaii in San Francisco. Twenty-one people on board have tested positive for the coronavirus

‘He has to take several medications daily, and he’s going to run out today [Saturday]. I’m sure that’s true for many passengers’.

John Miller, who is on board the Grand Princess, told ABC7 Saturday that news the Grand Princess was prohibited from docking in San Francisco was ‘the worst possible’ thing he could have heard.

Overnight, the captin of the ship announced the Coast Guard was arriving to airlift a passenger who required ‘medical assistance’ to the mainland.

A helicopter arrived shortly after, with the unidentified person flown to San Francisco for treatment, according to CNN. It’s unclear whether the person was one of the 21 who tested positive for coronavirus.

The Grand Princess moved closer to land overnight, and is now floating around 20 miles off the coast of San Francisco – but there are still no details as to where or when the ship will port.

An epidemiologist who studies the spread of virus particles says keeping passengers contained on the vessel will amplify the rate of infection.

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MORE THAN 700 CASES AND SIX DEATHS FROM DIAMOND PRINCESS CRUISE SHIP

In the worst cruise ship crisis so far, 706 people tested positive on the Diamond Princess after Japanese authorities imposed a two-week lockdown in Yokohama.

At least six people have died after they were taken to hospital from the doomed vessel.

Passengers were confined to their cabins during the lockdown but several countries eventually lost patience with Japan and airlifted their citizens home.

Japan was widely criticised for its handling of the ship, with one disease expert saying the quarantine was ‘completely inadequate’ after viewing the conditions on board.

Kentaro Iwata said the situation on board the vessel was worse than outbreaks he had dealt with in the past, such as Ebola in Africa and the 2003 SARS crisis in China.

The Kobe University infectious diseases expert said conditions on the ship were ‘completely chaotic’ and violated quarantine rules.

Japan had initially impounded the ship after a passenger who left the ship in Hong Kong in January subsequently tested positive.

The Diamond Princess, pictured in Yokohama last month, became one of the world's largest clusters of coronavirus cases when more than 700 people were infected on board

The Diamond Princess, pictured in Yokohama last month, became one of the world’s largest clusters of coronavirus cases when more than 700 people were infected on board