They keep at sea a cruise ship that transported a man who died of coronavirus

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Cruises expand measures against coronavirus 0:28

(CNN) - US authorities across the country ask local communities to think of ways to stop the spread of the new coronavirus, while California authorities said Wednesday that a person who died of COVID-19 had recently been in a cruise.

The patient, whose name was not disclosed, had underlying health conditions and was likely exposed to the virus on a February 11-21 cruise between San Francisco and Mexico, according to Placer County health officials. Two other people have tested positive for coronaviruses, according to other officials.

In a statement, the Princess Cruises company said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He had been notified that there was a "small group" of cases on that cruise. The man who died was 71, the company said.

"Everyone at Princess Cruises offers our most sincere and heartfelt condolences to the family and all those affected by this loss," the company said.

A person from Sonoma County and another person on the cruise also contracted the virus, authorities said.

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The cruise involved, the Grand Princess, is in the Pacific after sailing to Hawaii, and passengers on this trip and the previous one received a health warning on Wednesday. Some people were passengers on both cruises, authorities said.

"We have shared essential travel and health data with the CDC to facilitate its standard notification to state and county health authorities so they can track people who may have been exposed to sick people," Princess Cruises wrote in the notice.

The ship will skip its last port of call in Mexico and eventually go to San Francisco.

Workers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Coast Guard and state health agencies conduct tests on board, as there are 11 passengers and 10 crew members who have developed symptoms that need to be checked, said the Governor Gavin Newsom. The ship will remain at sea, he added.

The cruise has about 2,500 passengers, Newsom reported.

The governor declared a state of emergency, which allows more money to be allocated for the state's coronavirus response.

The number of deaths in the US increases for the coronavirus

The number of deaths in the United States from the coronavirus increased to 11 on Wednesday.

The California patient is the first to die in the United States due to the disease outside the state of Washington. The other death was in King County in the state of Washington.

At least 164 cases of coronaviruses are known in 16 states, including 40 in the state of Washington and at least 36 in California.

"This tragic death underscores the urgent need for us to take additional measures to protect residents who are particularly vulnerable to developing more serious illnesses, including the elderly and people with underlying health conditions," said Dr. Aimee Sisson, an official at Placer County Health.

Nine of the 10 Washington state deaths occurred in King County, authorities say. Six of the deceased had links to the Life Care Center, a long-term care home for seniors in a suburb of Seattle.

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The outbreak in the nursing home and a series of new cases in recent days in the states of Florida, Georgia and Rhode Island "have raised our concern for certain communities in the US," said Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the National Center for Immunization of the CDC and Respiratory Diseases, at a press conference on Tuesday.

"As more areas see community expansion, local communities can begin to use tools that foster social distancing," Messonnier said Tuesday. "The objective of social distancing is to limit exposure by reducing face-to-face contact and preventing the spread among people in community settings."

"What is happening now in the United States may be the beginning of what is happening abroad," said the director. "We will continue to maintain an aggressive national containment stance for as long as practical."

"That said, it is possible for some local communities to take specific measures to mitigate the disease," he added.

Washington city gets angry because they want to turn a motel into an isolation center

King County wants to spend $ 4 million to buy a two-story Econolodge motel in Kent with the goal of using it as an isolation center, a measure that has angered city leaders.

Mayor Dana Ralph said they are demanding that county officials not use the motel. She told reporters that the county never contacted them and they learned about the development only through a third party.

"We are very concerned about the public health and safety implications that this has for our community," he added.

County Executive Dow Constantine announced the possible purchase as part of an announcement about the use of modular buildings for quarantine or isolation facilities.

Constantine said they hope to have the motel in use in a few days.

"This situation requires that we act urgently," he added. "We all need to be together in this."

The mayor said that city officials understand that everyone has a role to play, but that they have important concerns and are upset about the lack of initial communication.

Ralph said he talked to Constantine upon learning of the plan.

"Most of our questions remain unanswered," Ralph said.

The Econolodge was built in 1978 and has 84 rooms, according to King County's online property records. It was recently valued at US $ 5,552,900.

Any American with a medical order can now get tested

The 158 cases of coronavirus in the United States include both confirmed cases and suspected positive cases: cases that tested positive in public health laboratories but are still awaiting confirmation from the CDC.

The number includes 46 repatriated citizens of the Diamond Princess cruise ship, which docked in Japan last month after an outbreak and quarantine, as well as three returnees from Wuhan, China.

Texas announced its first case, said there is a patient from Fort Bend County near Houston. The man, in his 70s, recently traveled abroad and is hospitalized.

The number of cases in the United States continues to increase since health officials allowed more laboratories to carry out tests for the virus.

The CDC reported Tuesday that public health laboratories across the country that use CDC test kits were expected to evaluate up to 75,000 people by the end of the week. This is in addition to the almost 1 million people expected to undergo tests through commercial laboratories that were approved by the US Food and Drug Administration.

Last week, health authorities also softened the guidelines on who should be tested for the virus. The change occurred after the first confirmed case of coronavirus of unknown origin, a patient who was initially not tested because it did not meet the existing CDC test guidelines.

On Tuesday, Vice President Mike Pence announced that any American, with a medical order, can now be tested.

The new CDC criterion calls for "Americans to be evaluated (to detect coronavirus), without restrictions, subject to doctors' orders," Pence said Tuesday describing the new policy.

Kay Jones, Andy Rose, Cheri Mossburg, Sarah Moon, Kerry Flynn, Kristina Sgueglia and Konstantin Toropin of CNN contributed to this report.

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