Grand Princess cruise ship carrying coronavirus patients arrives in Oakland

The Grand Princess cruise ship passes under the Golden Gate Bridge as it heads in to shore in San Francisco, California on March 09, 2020. - More than 3,000 passengers are stuck at sea after at least 21 people tested positive for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) on-board. less The Grand Princess cruise ship passes under the Golden Gate Bridge as it heads in to shore in San Francisco, California on March 09, 2020. - More than 3,000 passengers are stuck at sea after at least 21 people ... more Photo: Josh Edelson, AFP Via Getty Images Photo: Josh Edelson, AFP Via Getty Images Image 1 of / 40 Caption Close Grand Princess cruise ship carrying coronavirus patients arrives in Oakland 1 / 40 Back to Gallery

For more coverage, visit our complete coronavirus section here

The Grand Princess cruise ship that has been idling off the California coast with at least 21 coronavirus patients onboard traveled under the Golden Gate Bridge after 11:10 a.m. Monday.

The ship docked at pier 22 in the Port of Oakland just after noon at an 11-acre site enclosed with a fence. Tents were set up and at least 10 ambulances and 15 buses were parked in the containment area.

Federal and state officials have been making plans for flights and buses to whisk passengers aboard the boat to military bases or their home countries for a 14-day quarantine.

"None of the passengers who disembark will be released into the general public," a statement from the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) said.

The boat is carrying about 2,400 passengers and 1,100 crew members and has been traveling in circles off the coast of California for several days as state and federal officials made disembarkment plans.

Here's a rundown of the plan of action for disembarking:

Passengers who require acute medical treatment and hospitalization — not only related to COVID-19 — will disembark first and go to healthcare facilities in California for treatment.

Once this group has been cared for, 962 California residents aboard will disembark for testing and isolation. "It is expected that these actions will take the greater part of the day on March 9th," Cal OES said. "California residents who disembark will be transferred to Travis Air Force Base or Marine Corps Air Station Miramar for testing and quarantine."

Next, non-Californians will be transported to facilities in other states for testing and isolation. "Residents of other states will complete the mandatory quarantine at Joint Base San Antonio Lackland in Texas or Dobbins Air Force Base in Georgia," according to a statement from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The disembarkment could take two to three days.

Crew will be quarantined aboard the ship, and those in need of more acute medical care will be transported off the ship to a medical facility.

The ship will only stay in the Port of Oakland for the duration of disembarkment

Federal and state officials chose the port of Oakland for the disembarkment because it's one of the few ports that can accommodate the 951-foot-long ship.

"The Port of Oakland location was the easiest to seal off, securely move passengers toward their isolation destinations and protect the safety of the public," the statement reads.

The Port of Oakland is the fifth-busiest container port in the United States after Long Beach, Los Angeles, Newark and Savannah.

At least 21 people on the Grand Princess have tested positive for coronavirus, including 19 crew members and two passengers. The tests were initially administered to 46 people (of the roughly 3,500 passengers and crew) who were displaying symptoms. Vice President Mike Pence said in a press conference Friday that all passengers would be tested.

The concern of the Grand Princess started after a 71-year-old passenger from a previous voyage on the same boat died of coronavirus last Wednesday at a hospital in Roseville in Placer County, near Sacramento. He had underlying health conditions. The Los Angeles Times reported he had the virus before boarding the boat that traveled between San Francisco and Mexico, Feb. 11 to 21. This means the virus may have been circulating in the state for a longer duration than originally thought.

"Dr. Grant Tarling, the cruise’s medical officer, said the man — who later died in Placer County after leaving the cruise — sought medical care on the ship Feb. 20 and had been sick for several days," the Times reported. "Tarling said two waiters who served the man multiple times were subsequently infected."

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

Amy Graff is a digital editor with SFGATE. Email her news tips and photos at agraff@sfgate.com.

MORE CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE: