Coronavirus-hit cruise ship to dock as New York declares emergency

Los Angeles: A US cruise ship hit by coronavirus was given permission late on Saturday to dock while New York announced a state of emergency as confirmed cases across the country surged past 400. The Grand Princess cruise ship has recorded 21 Covid-19 infections on board - 19 crew and two American passengers - out of 45 people tested.

Authorities ordered the vessel to remain at sea off the coast of San Francisco, where it was due to dock on Saturday following a 14-day trip to Hawaii, after it emerged that a passenger on a previous voyage had contracted the virus and later died. The vessel will instead go to nearby Oakland on Monday and begin disembarking passengers in need of "acute medical treatment", vessel owner Princess Cruises said in a statement.

Meanwhile, New York became the latest state to declare an emergency as the number of patients there rose to 89, including a driver who apparently worked for ride-sharing company Uber. The announcement came as the first US service member stationed at home tested positive.


The state of emergency, New York governor Andrew Cuomo said, "allows expedited purchasing and expedited hiring, which are the things we need now".

Cuomo said the state would probably be spending $30 million a week to fight the Covid-19 disease.

In an effort to slow the spread of the virus, retirement homes and nursing facilities in the New Rochelle area are banning visits by outsiders. Cuomo said the quarantine period of 14 days for infected people might be extended.

The governor also warned store owners against exploiting the situation by inflating their prices for virus-related products. "We have reports of stores selling hand sanitizer for $80 a bottle," he said. "You can lose your licence... It's illegal."AFP