John and Assunta Gerretsen remain aboard the Grand Princess cruise ship off the shores of San Francisco after 21 people on the ship tested positive for the new coronavirus, according to U.S. Vice President Mike Pence.
Global News spoke to the couple minutes after the announcement.
“The captain told us over (the) PA system, and they apologized that it was on NBC first because they said that the government just didn’t have prior knowledge of it. They found out on the news as well,” said Assunta via facetime.
The Gerretsen’s remain in their cabin as they wait for an update.
Pence said Friday that 46 people were tested for COVID-19. Two passengers and 19 crew members tested positive.
The passengers and staff tested were on a prior sailing of the cruise ship from San Francisco to Mexico and were planning on continuing on to Hawaii.
The ship is currently anchored off the coast of San Francisco.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom said officials will not allow the ship to dock in port until all passengers are tested or assessed.
“We were on a flight back to Ontario tomorrow morning but now we have to cancel. Now, we don’t know when we’re getting off,” said Gerretsen.
235 Canadians are currently aboard the Grand Princess. The nationalities of the positive cases are not yet known, according to government officials.
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