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| - Thousands of people stranded on a cruise ship off the coast of California due to a coronavirus outbreak were to start disembarking Monday in what officials said would be an "unprecedented and difficult" landing. "The Grand Princess will arrive at around noon today," a spokesman for the port of Oakland, near San Francisco, told AFP. Fences have been put up at the port, and buses and flights were lined up to transport the more than 2,000 passengers. They will go into treatment, be placed in quarantine, or returned to their home countries in the case of non-US residents. The ship, which has 21 confirmed novel coronavirus infections among its 3,500 passengers and crew, appeared to be moving toward the coast Monday, according to tracking website Cruisin. It had been sitting off the coast of nearby San Francisco for four days while authorities figured out how to get the people safely ashore without spreading the potentially deadly virus. Local television stations showed tents being set up on the quayside and a line of portable toilets as officials prepared for the operation. "Disembarkation will commence in order of priority, as defined and directed by both state and local authorities," Princess cruises said in a statement. The US Coast Guard will send teams "to assist with medical triage, screening and interviews, and prioritizing those who require the most acute care," while passengers will be tested at their onward destination to avoid delays, it added. Those who don't require acute care will be quarantined for 14 days at US military bases. Crew will remain onboard and the ship will leave San Francisco bay, the company said. A plan for crew quarantine was still being developed. Canada Monday became the latest country calling on its citizens to avoid cruises due to coronavirus, as Ottawa prepared to repatriate nearly 240 Canadians aboard the Grand Princess. Passenger Carolyn Wright, 63, of New Mexico, said the mood had been lifted on board by the prospect of finally reaching land, and guests were briefly allowed to leave their cabins. "It really feels wonderful to have gotten out and stretched our legs," Wright told AFP Monday. "I feel kind of energized and happy. It just makes you feel like okay, things are happening and things are now moving. "It's going to be over eventually and finally they've got a plan and hopefully things will be smooth from here on." Some couples danced on deck as others walked laps around the huge ship. Medical officers boarded the ship late Sunday for what California Governor Gavin Newsom said would be a "two-three day process," with the start time based on currents and tides. "We are still working out the enormity of complexity of making sure we prepare the site and ... prepare for a quick turnaround," he said. President Donald Trump said on Friday that he would prefer to keep the passengers confined on the ship because letting them off would increase the number of infections in the United States. "I like the numbers being where they are. I don't need to have the numbers double because of one ship that wasn't our fault," Trump said, but added he would leave the decision to Vice President Mike Pence, whom he has appointed to head the coronavirus taskforce. The United States has recorded at least 22 deaths from the coronavirus and 565 confirmed cases, according to a Johns Hopkins tally. amz-jh/jm
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