California Declares State Of Emergency After Passenger Who Sailed Aboard Carnival's Cruise Ship Dies

California Governor Gavin Newsom has declared an emergency after a person died of coronavirus, and 53 others became infected in the state.

What Happened

An elderly person in Placer County has become the first fatality of the Covid-19 virus in California. 

The deceased had been aboard the Carnival Corp CCL owned Grand Princess cruise ship that sailed between San Francisco and Mexico the previous month.

The governor of California said in a statement, "The State of California is deploying every level of government to help identify cases and slow the spread of this coronavirus.”

Separately, in Washington state, ten people have died from the Covid-19 infection from among a cluster of 39. Health officials in Seattle are advising people not to assemble for social gatherings. 

Reuters reported new cases of coronavirus infections surfacing in New York City and Los Angeles.

Why It Matters

Carnival’s Princess Cruises has confirmed that some cases of Covid-19 in North California had been linked to its Grand Princess cruise ship, which sailed roundtrip between February 11 and 21.

Governor Newsom held a press conference on Wednesday and said that the Grand Princess would not dock as expected in the state on Thursday after returning from its current voyage.

The operator of the cruise said in a separate statement that there are fewer than 100 guests and crew onboard, which require Covid-19 screening. Testing kits would be flown to the ship by helicopter for that purpose. 

The Grand Princess is the second Carnival ship to be linked to the coronavirus, the first, the Diamond Princess, was quarantined in Japan for two weeks in February, during which time hundreds on board were infected with Covid-19.

Price Action

Carnival shares traded 1.73% lower at $31.90 in the after-hours session on Wednesday. The shares had closed the regular session 1.98% higher at $32.46.

Photo Credit: California Governor via Instagram