Update: There were 286 Grand Princes cruise ship passengers remaining in quarantine at Dobbins Air Reserve Base in Marietta Monday afternoon, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
Eighty-five people from Georgia, Kentucky, Montana, Oklahoma and Utah who were quarantined at Dobbins Air Reserve Base in Marietta amid the coronavirus pandemic returned home this weekend, federal and state officials confirmed Sunday.
Eight Georgians remain at Dobbins, though they were expected to return home Sunday. They are among nearly 500 passengers from the Grand Princess who were brought to the military installation after their cruise ship was struck by the disease.
Twenty-one people aboard ship tested positive for the COVID-19 infection, Vice President Mike Pence confirmed this month. Of those, 19 were crew members and two were passengers.
On Saturday, Gov. Brian Kemp announced that Georgia had been given federal permission to begin returning state residents to their homes from Dobbins. He also authorized calling up as many 2,000 Georgia National Guardsmen to active duty for helping get them home and to “ensure the steady supply of medical equipment, food, shelter, or related materials to keep Georgians safe.”
Some of the passengers quarantined at the military base have complained of unsanitary conditions, missing luggage and limited access to food, medicine and other necessities.
Among the passengers at Dobbins is Don Curran, who isn’t sure when he’ll be able to go home to Michigan and get back to his job in radio news. Curran and his friend have a designated area outside where they can walk around but are otherwise stuck. Neither have symptoms, though both are still waiting to be tested for the coronavirus. Curran added he’s having difficulty getting answers at Dobbins.
Georgia’s two U.S. senators — David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler — have intervened, contacting Robert Kadlec, the U.S. Health and Human Services Department’s assistant secretary for preparedness and response.
HHS released a statement late Saturday, saying it would begin testing the passengers for COVID-19 this weekend.
“This unprecedented response has presented significant logistical challenges,” HHS said. “We have assigned case managers to each of the guests to individually address their needs. We recognize this has been a stressful experience and we remain dedicated to providing support to the passengers.”
Meanwhile, Georgia officials are scrambling to help get the remaining cruise ship passengers at Dobbins back home.
“We are working with Health and Human Services, which is in charge of the operation, and we are reaching out to states that have people here to facilitate arrangements to get people in a responsible and safe way back to their homes to continue their self-quarantine,” said Maj. Gen. Thomas Carden Jr., Georgia’s adjutant general. “We all empathize with their situation.”
Staff writer Alexis Stevens contributed to this report.
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