The Canadian Press communicated with two couples travelling on the ship, who said passengers had been allowed to leave and were on a bus to the Miami airport.

The ship has 97 Canadian passengers and two Canadian crew members.

A couple first quarantined on a cruise ship near San Francisco, then held in isolation at the air force base in Trenton, Ont., for two weeks, is home.

Canadians on the cruise ship Grand Princess were sent home on a government-charted flight after coronavirus cases were diagnosed.

The ship is under a "no sail order" from the U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which will require it to remain at anchor off the coast of Florida until further notice, the statement said.

Robert Grubb first heard about the plans from Global News, and he could barely contain his excitement.

New cancellation policies are now being offered by major players in the cruise industry, including Carnival, Disney, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian cruise lines.

The two crew members on the Regal Princess had transferred from separate cruise ship that was held off the coast of California after multiple cases of COVID-19 were confirmed on board.

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, the Trump administration's point man on coronavirus control, announced that 21 of 46 people tested for COVID-19 aboard the Grand Princess were found to be infected.

Two passengers and 19 crew members tested positive out of 46 tests, while another test proved inconclusive, Pence said.