FILE – In this Feb. 11, 2020, file photo, the Grand Princess cruise ship passes the Golden Gate Bridge as it arrives from Hawaii in San Francisco. Scrambling to keep the coronavirus at bay, officials ordered the cruise ship to hold off the California coast Thursday, March 5, to await testing of those aboard, after a passenger on an earlier voyage died and at least one other became infected. (Scott Strazzante/San Francisco Chronicle via AP, File)
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) confirmed on Friday that there are over 500 Filipino crew members of a cruise ship now anchored off Northern California on suspicion of carrying the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
DFA Assistant Secretary Eduardo Meñez confirmed this to reporters in a Viber message.
“We confirm that there are Filipino crew members on board the MV Grand Princess, and in similar number as the Diamond Princess of around 530 – 540 Filipino crew out of 1,111 total crew,” Meñez initially said.
“We do not have confirmations about Filipino passengers yet,” he added.
In a later message, Meñez clarified that the “most recent info puts the exact number of Filipino crew at 518.”
Meñez noted that there are “passengers and crew of unidentified nationalities who are exhibiting symptoms and are being tested accordingly” aboard the Grand Princess.