Fresno couple first heard of coronavirus on Hawaii cruise. Now they await another quarantine
Paula and Tom Yost of Fresno, both 80, have been doing more of their tai chi martial arts exercises lately as a way to stay active during a coronavirus quarantine that’s kept them confined to their room on the Grand Princess cruise ship.
They and many other passengers haven’t been able to leave their rooms since Saturday – also the first day the Yosts learned of the contagious virus that’s been causing worldwide concern. The California couple didn’t have internet access during a four-day journey from Hawaii across the Pacific Ocean. The Grand Princess docked in Oakland on Monday.
Paula said she’s not worried about catching coronavirus – even though at least 26 people on the Grand Princess tested positive for the virus.
“I think I’m making a lot of memories,” Paula said positively on Tuesday from her room on the Grand Princess, “and will have a lot of things to talk about in the future.”
Paula said while she and her husband hadn’t been tested for the virus, they haven’t experienced virus symptoms and felt OK.
COVID-19 has killed more than 30 people in the U.S. and more than 4,000 people around the world. Thousands more have fallen ill and recovered.
The Yosts were unloaded from the ship on Wednesday. Shortly after 2 p.m. Wednesday, Paula said she was on an airplane, awaiting takeoff to what she thought could be a 14-day precautionary quarantine. She said she didn’t know where she was being taken, but thought she was heading for Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, near San Diego. (She did end up going to Miramar.)
State officials previously said the nearly 1,000 Grand Princess passengers who reside in California will be taken to Travis Air Force Base, near Fairfield, or Marine Corps Air Station Miramar.
The Yosts’ quarantine has been a very unexpected ending to a fun Hawaiian vacation for their 62nd wedding anniversary, but they have been making the most of their confinement.
Paula has been keeping herself busy with crafts and movies, including “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” about beloved children’s show host Mr. Rogers.
Tom was standing on the balcony of their room Tuesday, watching the world below with interest as buses zipped in and out of a parking lot where people dressed in hazmat suits moved back and forth.
They left California at the end of February for a journey that took them to several Hawaiian islands. The ship bypassed its last planned stop, in Mexico, on the way back because some passengers had coronavirus.
People dressed in hazmat suits have been delivering food to their room, which has its own balcony, bathroom and small fridge. The Yosts have been keeping in touch with their children and grandchildren by telephone and Facebook.
Paula posted three photos on her Facebook as the Grand Princess entered the Port of Oakland – two featuring a small plastic baby doll that she likes to put in various travel photos. One shows the doll next to information about how to disembark the ship, with the caption, “Guess who is having a good time. Lots of chocolate on board.”
Despite her upbeat attitude, Paula said she is eager to leave the ship and be able to resume her daily 2-mile walks.
She doesn’t know what to expect next, but said she isn’t concerned about a military base quarantine. Her husband is a former Marine.
Paula said she and her husband didn’t have any immediate upcoming plans, but their cat will now have to stay with a cat sitter a little longer than expected.
“I feel very safe. I feel taken care of. If you could see all of this, you’d understand,” Paula said of what’s been happening in and around the Grand Princess. “The ship organized it very good. … If people would just see how hard these people are working. I would like to thank every one of them.”
Any other messages to share with the public? From Paula’s standpoint: Don’t let coronavirus mess with your vacation plans.
“I would say that if they got a trip planned, go ahead and do it,” Paula said. “Don’t let them stop you from enjoying life.”
This story was originally published March 11, 2020 at 8:13 AM.
