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American Morning
Cleaning Crews Disinfecting Ship Where Hundreds Became Ill on Cruise
Aired September 02, 2003 - 08:16 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: About 300 passengers became sick on board the Regal Princess while at sea, sick with a viral infection. That ship's trip in the North Atlantic cut short by a day. It docked earlier today in New York. Some concern on shore about the possibility that the sickness may spread.
Maria Hinojosa live near the port here in Manhattan -- what are they saying, Maria?
Are the passengers off the ship yet or not?
MARIA HINOJOSA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They're slowly coming off the ship. But more importantly, perhaps, Bill, is that the cleaning crews are already on the ship. They are already there sanitizing everything from poker chips to elevator buttons to all of the sheets. There was, at the height of this, 296 people sick out of a total of 1,538 passengers, including also 44 members of the crew.
Now, they did cut short the trip by one day, so the people who were on this trip will get a one day credit. But right now what we know, Bill, is that there are only two people who are sick. Now, this is a stomach virus. It's a kind of nasty stomach virus. It is very contagious. There were no quarantines that happened when they found out about six days into the trip that there was this Norwalk virus. They flew in a couple of medical personnel to deal with this and some extra cleaning crews and basically closed down the buffet, told people to stay in their rooms if they weren't feeling well. But there was no quarantine.
Now, we are also hearing that people will get a credit of $300 on board credit for the days that they were not feeling well. But right now only two people sick. They were met here by the Coast Guard, by ambulances, by the CDC. We don't see the ambulances anymore, so we believe that they've -- if they took those passengers to the hospital, they already did so. But at this point only two people sick with the Norwalk virus off of this Princess cruise here in New York City -- Bill.
HEMMER: And we hope for the best going forward.
Thanks, Maria.
Maria Hinojosa here in New York.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
on Cruise>
Aired September 2, 2003 - 08:16 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: About 300 passengers became sick on board the Regal Princess while at sea, sick with a viral infection. That ship's trip in the North Atlantic cut short by a day. It docked earlier today in New York. Some concern on shore about the possibility that the sickness may spread.
Maria Hinojosa live near the port here in Manhattan -- what are they saying, Maria?
Are the passengers off the ship yet or not?
MARIA HINOJOSA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They're slowly coming off the ship. But more importantly, perhaps, Bill, is that the cleaning crews are already on the ship. They are already there sanitizing everything from poker chips to elevator buttons to all of the sheets. There was, at the height of this, 296 people sick out of a total of 1,538 passengers, including also 44 members of the crew.
Now, they did cut short the trip by one day, so the people who were on this trip will get a one day credit. But right now what we know, Bill, is that there are only two people who are sick. Now, this is a stomach virus. It's a kind of nasty stomach virus. It is very contagious. There were no quarantines that happened when they found out about six days into the trip that there was this Norwalk virus. They flew in a couple of medical personnel to deal with this and some extra cleaning crews and basically closed down the buffet, told people to stay in their rooms if they weren't feeling well. But there was no quarantine.
Now, we are also hearing that people will get a credit of $300 on board credit for the days that they were not feeling well. But right now only two people sick. They were met here by the Coast Guard, by ambulances, by the CDC. We don't see the ambulances anymore, so we believe that they've -- if they took those passengers to the hospital, they already did so. But at this point only two people sick with the Norwalk virus off of this Princess cruise here in New York City -- Bill.
HEMMER: And we hope for the best going forward.
Thanks, Maria.
Maria Hinojosa here in New York.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
on Cruise>
