After being blocked for hours due to concerns about an ill patient, passengers on Carnival Panorama were allowed to disembark in homeport Long Beach CA late Saturday, March 7. City officials announced on Twitter that a passenger on the cruise ship had been taken to a local hospital by Long Beach Fire Department and was being tested for COVID-19 (Coronavirus).
The vessel berthed at Long Beach Terminal but “in an abundance of caution" the US CDC decided to hold passenger debarkation until the patient could be evaluated. Passengers have been waiting for 3+ hours to disembark, but were not quarantined (isolated in their staterooms) and were allowed to use the ship’s venues (including bars and the casino).
According to a Facebook post by the ship's Cruise Director, there was a medical matter with a Carnival Panorama passenger that caused authorities to suspend debarkation. The passenger in question didn't meet CDC's criteria for the Coronavirus risk, but officials had questions. The shoreside medical team was in direct contact with authorities and they hoped to debark shortly.
For Coronavirus updates on cruise ship quarantines (infected passengers and crew) and top-pandemic countries (COVID-19 cases and deaths, daily updated statistics) see at CruiseMapper's Norovirus page.