US Marshals guard Asilomar coronavirus quarantine area in Pacific Grove [BOHEMIAN GROVE]
PACIFIC GROVE — As fatigue-clad U.S. Marshals patrolled the perimeter of a closed-off section of the Asilomar Hotel and Conference Grounds in Pacific Grove Thursday morning, Monterey County officials say there remain unanswered questions about a dozen people quarantined inside the facility.
At a news conference Wednesday afternoon at Pacific Grove City Hall, county officials said they were not aware that U.S. Marshals were guarding the fenced-off area at Asilomar, where 12 former passengers of the Grand Princess cruise ship are being housed under quarantine. As of Wednesday, 22 passengers from the ship have tested positive for the COVID-19 virus.
“We are (guarding the area) now,” said one U.S. Marshall staffed at a Sinex Avenue entrance into the quarantined area of the conference center. The U.S. Marshall asked that his name not be used because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
Behind the U.S. Marshals, staff from the California Office of Emergency Services wearing bright orange gloves were working on a staging area for individuals being brought in or out of the makeshift facility. Crocker Avenue between Sinex Avenue and Sunset Drive has been closed to traffic. Crocker borders the quarantine area.
All guest operations have been suspended through April 12, according to a notice posted on Asilomar’s website. There is a tentative open date of April 13.
Meanwhile, Monterey County Health Department officials on Wednesday said they were told there were 12 individuals currently quarantined with a capacity of 24. However, specific information on the status of the people quarantined was not immediately available to local officials. Asilomar Conference Center is owned by California State Parks.
“We’re here to address rumors that are circulating,” said Monterey County Supervisor Mary Adams at Wednesday’s news conference. “We’ve had so many questions in emails and voicemails from people who are concerned and troubled. There is a lot of misinformation.”
Adams, whose district includes Asilomar, said that the quarantine is a state-run operation and that county officials “don’t have all the answers.”
The county was first contacted by the state Office of Emergency Services at about 11 a.m. Tuesday to inform local officials about the quarantine operation.
“The county had no choice,” Adams said. “It was state-mandated.”
While there is some anxiety being created by the news of surrounding the COVID-19 outbreak, there has also been compassion locally for the former passengers. County officials said that people have offered to donate books and other materials to the people in quarantine.
“We want to remind everyone that the people in quarantine are Americans; they are Californians with families,” said County Administrative Officer Charles McKee.
As of Wednesday, county officials said they have little information on the conditions of those in quarantine, including whether they have been tested for COVID-19 or even if they are suffering any symptoms.
“We don’t have a lot of information on the patients,” said Elsa Mendoza Jimenez, the director of health for the county Health Department. She added that the incubation period for the virus is 14 days. “We do know that if anyone tests positive, they will be in strict isolation.”
The former passengers at Asilomar are being quarantined because they had been exposed to other passengers and consequently meet criteria established by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
As to why Asilomar was chosen as a quarantine site, county officials said it was part of a response plan all along. An email response from the California Department of Public Health Thursday was equally vague, saying passengers who do not require hospitalization but show mild symptoms of illness cannot be quarantined at military bases. But why Asilomar was chosen was not answered.
“The state and federal government identified Asilomar and a hotel in San Carlos as suitable locations for individuals to receive this care,” the response read.
https://www.montereyherald.com/2020/03/12/us-marshals-service-guards-asilomar-coronavirus-quarantine-area-in-pacific-grove/