24 Grand Princess passengers going to Asilomar in Pacific Grove for quarantine

Asilomar State Beach fronts Monterey Bay, 120 miles south of San Francisco. Asilomar State Beach fronts Monterey Bay, 120 miles south of San Francisco. Photo: Apollob66/Getty Images/iStockphoto Photo: Apollob66/Getty Images/iStockphoto Image 1 of / 42 Caption Close 24 Grand Princess passengers going to Asilomar in Pacific Grove for quarantine 1 / 42 Back to Gallery

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As many as 24 passengers on the Grand Princess cruise ship that docked in Oakland on Monday will be transferred to the Asilomar State Beach and Conference Grounds in Pacific Grove, officials said Tuesday.

They will be undergoing a mandatory 14-day quarantine in a cluster of buildings separate from visitors and the public, and will not be in contact with Asilomar guests, employees or the general public.

"All the individuals have been screened by medical professionals, and because they have mild symptoms that do not require hospitalization, they cannot be quarantined at Travis Air Force Base," a statement from the Governor's Office of Emergency Services said. "While none of these individuals is known to have contracted novel coronavirus (COVID-19), they will be tested and monitored by medical professionals while at Asilomar."

“These residents have endured a lot of stress in the last few days, and our top priority is to protect their health – and the public health of California – until they can return to their homes,” said California Health and Human Services Agency Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly. “We understand people across California are concerned about novel coronavirus, and that’s why we’re collaborating with our federal partners to ensure that the community surrounding Asilomar is not impacted.”

Asilomar State Beach spreads across a rocky coast and sand dunes on the Monterey Peninsula, 120 miles south of San Francisco. The 107-acre property includes the Asilomar Conference Center built by the YWCA in 1913. Famed architect Julia Morgan designed many of the buildings on the property that's known for its stunning ocean views.

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The cruise ship forced to idle for days off the California coast because of a cluster of coronavirus cases on board arrived in port Monday, and dozen of passengers began to leave for military bases, where they would be quarantined or to return to their home countries.

The Grand Princess pulled into the Port of Oakland with more than 3,500 people aboard — 21 confirmed to be infected with the new virus. Passengers lining the balconies waved and some left the cabins where they had been in isolation to go on deck.

Many of the nearly 240 Canadians on board left the ship after the critically ill and stood outside two tents displaying Canadian flags. Canada and the United Kingdom were among the countries that sent chartered flights to retrieve their citizens.

U.S. passengers are being flow or bused from the port — chosen for its proximity to an airport and a military base — to bases in California, Texas and Georgia for testing and a 14-day quarantine. The ship is carrying people from 54 countries, and foreigners will be whisked home.

About 1,100 crew members, 19 of whom have tested positive for COVID-19, will be quarantined and treated aboard the ship, which will dock elsewhere after passengers are unloaded, California Gov. Gavin Newsom has said.

The Grand Princess had been held off the coast since Wednesday, because of evidence that it was the breeding ground for more than 20 infections tied to a previous voyage.

Passengers from the previous voyage have tested positive in California and other states. Six Canadians who were on the Grand Princess from Feb. 11 to 21 were also confirmed to have the virus.

Newsom and Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf sought to reassure people that none of the cruise ship passengers would be exposed to the public before completing the quarantine. Officials were trying to decide where the ship and its crew would go next.

The U.S. State Department warned against travel on cruise ships because of “increased risk of infection of COVID-19 in a cruise ship environment."

Another Princess ship, the Diamond Princess, was quarantined for two weeks in Yokohama, Japan, last month because of the virus. Ultimately, about 700 of the 3,700 people aboard became infected in what experts pronounced a public health failure, with the vessel essentially becoming a floating germ factory.

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

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