(Photo courtesy of Kellene Stockwell) 

Princess Cruises has announced, due to the new coronavirus, it will voluntarily pause global operations of its 18 cruise ships for 60 days, affecting trips departing March 12 to May 10.

Cruise ships have been particularly hard hit amid the new pandemic and have been turned away by dozens of ports and countries. The Diamond Princess cruise ship, which Japanese officials held in a flawed quarantine operation, infected hundreds of passengers and crew.

Jan Swartz, president of Princess Cruises, says “by taking this bold action of voluntarily pausing the operations of our ships, it is our intention to reassure our loyal guests, team members and global stakeholders of our commitment to the health, safety and well-being of all who sail with us."

Passengers now on a Princess cruise that will end in the next five days will continue to sail as expected through the end of the itinerary. Current voyages that extend beyond March 17 will be ended at the most convenient location for guests.

“Princess Cruises is a global vacation company that serves more than 50,000 guests daily from 70 countries as part of our diverse business, and it is widely known that we have been managing the implications of COVID-19 on two continents,” said Jan Swartz, president of Princess Cruises. “By taking this bold action of voluntarily pausing the operations of our ships, it is our intention to reassure our loyal guests, team members and global stakeholders of our commitment to the health, safety and well-being of all who sail with us, as well as those who do business with us, and the countries and communities we visit around the world,” added Swartz.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom said on Thursday that nearly 500 passengers remain aboard the Grand Princess cruise ship docked in Oakland, California. He hopes they will all be off the ship by the end of the day Thursday. 

In addition to the 21 people who previously tested positive while aboard the ship, Newsom says at least two more people have tested positive after leaving.

Newsom expects the number to climb as more people are tested.

He says the refusal by Lachland Air Force Base in Texas to take non-Texan U.S. citizens “has not helped our logistics to be candid with you."

Newsom says that bases in California and Georgia have welcomed other stranded Americans.

The ship was carrying about 3,500 passengers and crew when it docked earlier this week in Oakland.

Viking has also announced that it will temporarily suspend river and ocean cruise operations until May 1, 2020 in response to the coronavirus COVID-19 situation.

President Trump tweeted on Friday that four big cruise industry companies agreed to suspend cruises from the US for 30 days as well.