DHHS: All quarantined passengers depart Dobbins ARB

  • Published
  • By Capt. Tom Bowman, HHS deputy federal health coordinating officer

Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Ga. -- HHS is pleased to report that all Grand Princess passengers have departed Dobbins Air Reserve Base and Clay National Guard Center, concluding the mission to receive and care for 503 people.

 

Commentary from Capt. Tom Bowman, HHS deputy federal health coordinating officer:

 We can’t overstate how much the cooperation and engagement of our federal, state and local partners helped us meet the enormous challenges involved in this mission.  Tremendous thanks to our DoD host, Col. Craig McPike, and the outstanding staff at Dobbins ARB as well as Maj. Gen. Thomas Carden and the Georgia National Guard.  We are grateful for the support we received from local hospitals where seriously ill passengers were treated, as well as the healthcare providers who took care of them.  The Dobbins civilian and local community stepped up with donations for passengers and Pastor Ron Hughes from Johnson Ferry Baptist Church volunteered his time to offer words of comfort during Sunday afternoon calls with our guests.  Princess Cruises remained a committed partner in supporting us with what we needed to make our guests more comfortable.

 

Once again, Federal partners representing a range of U.S. government agencies provided the staff and resources needed to meet our shared mission of ensuring the health, safety, and comfort of the Princess cruise passengers, including the U.S. Marshals Service, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.  HHS is proud of what we have accomplished here at Dobbins ARB since the first passengers arrived on March 11.  With a commitment to protect and serve these passengers while protecting the American public at the forefront, everyone worked diligently to overcome the difficulties we experienced and the hurdles we climbed together. We are grateful for the support we received from our partners and the community.