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Maryland couple stuck in mandatory quarantine after cruise

Willie and Arlinda Peyton are currently quarantined on a military base in Georgia after 19 people aboard their cruise to Hawaii tested positive for coronavirus. This photo of them was taken during an earlier trip to Florida. (Courtesy Arlinda Peyton)

A Maryland couple is among hundreds of cruise passengers still in mandatory quarantine on a military base after taking a cruise where others on board tested positive for the new coronavirus.

“I was on a 15-day Princess cruise from San Francisco that went to Hawaii,” said Arlinda Peyton.

She and her husband, Willie Peyton, live in Mt. Airy, and they were on their way back from their dream vacation celebrating their 25-year wedding anniversary when they learned 19 people on board the ship tested positive for coronavirus.

“We knew we were going to go to quarantine. We were told it could be 14 days. We were all thinking we could come here, get a test, and it would be negative and we could go home. Well, I don’t even think they have tests — I don’t know,” Arlinda Peyton said.

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Rather than returning to San Francisco, where they were not allowed to dock, the ship finally came into port in nearby Oakland. Peyton said they were brought to Dobbins Air Force Base in Georgia, where they are staying in an extended stay hotel, usually occupied by visiting officers.

Initially, 66-year-old Peyton and her 81-year-old husband were told their quarantine started when they got off the ship. Then they were told it actually started when they got on base. When another group arrived the following day, officials pushed it back again.

She said the communication with anyone in charge has been abysmal.

“We are given no information. We have not been offered testing … They’re feeding us three times a day, they’re housing us and they’re done with us,” she said.

The Department of Defense is working with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to support passengers returning to the United States on the Grand Princess cruise ship. (1 of 6)

— U.S. Northern Command (@USNorthernCmd) March 9, 2020

Anecdotally, Peyton said she knows that some passengers do not have their luggage, and others are not in good health because they’ve had difficulty getting needed medications sent in.

But, Peyton said, after getting another supply of their daily medications sent by family, they’re in good shape.

President Donald Trump has said tests are expected to become available within days.

Megan Cloherty

WTOP Investigative Reporter Megan Cloherty primarily covers breaking news, crime and courts.

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