Quarantined cruise passengers arrive by jet in Atlanta

More than 350 passengers who were quarantined on a cruise ship due to concerns over the coronavirus arrived in Atlanta by jet on Friday, The Associated Press reported. 

The 359 passengers arriving from France at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport were met by first responders who were ready to test them for COVID-19 in a hangar at the facility. 

According to the report, three people on the flight have tested positive for the virus but do not show any symptoms, while 13 passengers reported feeling ill but have not yet been tested for the disease. 

The majority of passengers on the flight were vacationing on the cruise ship Costa Luminosa, which has the capacity to carry about 1,400 people. This particular cruise had reportedly been looking for a port after the ship had reported sick people aboard. The ship finally found refuge at a port in Marseille, France, under extremely strict quarantine conditions. 

According to U.S. health professionals, cruise ships are a hotbed for the spread of different diseases, particularly one as contagious as the novel coronavirus. Hundreds on both the Diamond Princess and Grand Princess cruise ships earlier this year were sickened with the coronavirus and prohibited from docking after concerns of the virus spread globally. 

The report also comes as the disease has ravaged areas of Western Europe and continues to do damage in the U.S., leaving more than 14,000 sickened in the country and more than 200 dead as of Friday afternoon. The State Department on Thursday issued a Level 4 travel alert for the entire world unless absolutely necessary.