03.12.2020 update

Hello outside world,

It’s 9:30am and we know nothing.  Plans as relayed to us via government personnel are constantly changing.  Previously, we were told we would be going straight to Washington State.  Last night a state agency called us told us that we were not going home but would be going to Miramar base near San Diego.  We had previously been told that we might go there for one night.  Last night we were told that the stay at Miramar could be for anywhere from 24 hours to 14 days.  

We received another call from the Washington State Public Health officer who was on speaker phone with another official from CDC.  They reassured us that they were trying to get us home today.  Or at least off the ship today.  It seems that we will be flown to Miramar base east of San Diego for COVID-19 testing.  Their belief is that we will be tested there and then flown home without waiting for the test results.  This is a best-case scenario at this time.  Plans have changed so often that we are hesitant to get our hopes up too high. 

Part of the planning is how they are going to get us home from an airport.  We were asked where we flew from, and did we have a vehicle there.  We don’t, so they need to find a safe way to transport us home for our quarantine.  This all makes sense.  They won’t allow anyone to pick us up or allow us to use LYFT. 

In our new world of dealing with government red tape, we are hopeful but not confident of leaving this room today.

Thanks for all of your support.  It really helps us.

Colleen and John