Hawaii residents evacuated from cruise ship settle in for another quarantine

HONOLULU, Hawaii (HawaiiNewsNow) - Some 380 Americans who were on board a cruise ship that was quarantined in Japan amid the coronavirus outbreak have returned to the United States.

And at least five of those passengers are Hawaii residents.

Eric and Debra Pagan, of Ewa Beach, shared new photos of the chartered flight they were on back to the United States.

The flights weren’t supposed to include any passengers affected by the new coronavirus, but the U.S. State Department said 14 people who tested positive were allowed to travel.

There was an isolation area set up in the middle of the plane, according to the Pagans.

“There was a gap between the material. I was able to look inside a little bit and I think I saw about four people sitting in there,” said Eric.

The Pagans were flown to Travis Air Force Base, where they will be quarantined in a hotel surrounded by a fence for two weeks.

“In the first 48 hours, we have to stay indoors. They’re asking us do not leave your room, at least for the first 48 hours. After that, you can go out, of course protected,” said Debra.

They were among at least six Hawaii residents who were on the cruise ship, though it’s not yet clear which air force bases they were flown to. At least two of those residents were reported to have contracted the coronavirus and were being hospitalized in Japan.

[Read more: Hawaii man sickened by coronavirus on quarantined cruise ship recounts his ordeal]

Federal authorities said 14 people who were evacuated and flown back have tested positive for coronavirus. They were allowed back on the flights back to the U.S. but were kept in isolation.

In all, 454 people aboard the cruise ship were infected by the new virus. Outside China, the ship has had the largest number of cases of the COVID-19 illness.

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