Home » Santa Clarita News » Coronavirus » Santa Clarita Residents Share Emotions As They Prepare To Leave Coronavirus Quarantine Cruise: Part Five

Santa Clarita Residents Share Emotions As They Prepare To Leave Coronavirus Quarantine Cruise: Part Five

As Carl Goldman and Jeri Seratti-Goldman prepare to leave the Diamond Princess cruise ship that was quarantined due to coronavirus, they face many conflicting emotions and an uncertain future.

Trapped Inside Our Diamond Princess Cruise Cabin – Day 11 (Saturday)

It’s a sad day aboard the Diamond Princess. No joking today. Our traveling companion Jerri Jorgensen came down with the coronavirus, also known as COVID-19.

For those who haven’t read my earlier posts. We have been quarantined for 14-days in our cabin aboard the Diamond Princess in Yokohama, Japan.

Last night, after watching a movie, all four of us took our temperatures. Jerri had a fever. In the morning, she still had a fever. As Mark and Jerri were getting ready to call the ship’s hospital, Japanese health officials knocked on their door. They were dressed in hazmat suits.

They handed Mark a letter that said Jerri had tested positive for the virus. She had one hour to pack a small bag.

Three days ago, she and Mark had the full coronavirus test because Mark had ordered his prescription medicine when we were first quarantined. Japanese health protocol had Mark and Jerri receiving a mandatory saliva test. Their swabs were sent to a Tokyo lab. Jerri’s was positive. It was pure coincidence the knock on her cabin door coincided with her phone call.

See Related: Santa Clarita Residents To Return To U.S. After Quarantine On Cruise Ship For Coronavirus

Jerri was sent by ambulance to a hospital in Fukushima, Japan, four hours away. We suspected all the Yokohama hospitals had more patients than they could handle with 218 coronavirus victims already removed from our ship, 40 of which are Americans. Jerri is number 41.

Fukushima is the area that had the Daiichi nuclear power plant disaster.

Jerri is now separated from her husband, Mark. No spouses are allowed to join their partners at the hospital.

We’ve had adjoining cabins throughout our cruise. My previous posts shared that Jeri and I had spent the entire cruise with Jerri and Mark.  Each of our cabins has a 12×12 balcony. We unlocked the balcony partition between our cabins at the beginning of our cruise, allowing us to go back and forth during our quarantine.

Our daily movie nights and companionship has been wonderful. Now the three of us felt horrible for Jerri’s plight. We were also very concerned about our own health.

In the late afternoon we received word from the United States Embassy. In 36 hours, all American citizens, some 339 of us, will be flown to the United States on one of two military transport planes. All of us will be tested for the novel corona virus, COVID-19, before we leave the Diamond Princess. If any of us test positive, we will be sent to a hospital in Japan.

We will be driven from the Diamond Princess to a military airport, then flown to Travis Airforce Base outside Sacramento, California. Some members of our group will then be flown to Lackland Airforce Base, near San Antonio, Texas.

Once we land, we will be quarantined for another 14 days. The earliest we return to our home in Santa Clarita will be March 1. We had left Santa Clarita on January 17 to begin our vacation. Holy cow.

We are unclear what tomorrow will bring. We are shaken and devastated that we have been removed from our friend. Mark is in shock. He will fly with us. If he remains in Japan, we are told he could be kept here for an unknown amount of time “to be determined”. Mark is not allowed to join his wife in Fukushima. His best option is to stick with us. Jerri Jorgensen has a better chance of being cleared of the virus and arriving in America and her Utah home prior to our return to Santa Clarita.

The next league of our journey may take days. I am uncertain when I will be able to post again. I do know my next post will contain another crazy episode in our remarkable journey.

Read All Of Carl’s Journals Here: Carl Goldman Coronavirus Journals

Part 1: Santa Clarita Residents Share First-Hand Account Of Quarantine On Diamond Princess Cruise Ship Due To Coronavirus

Part 2: Santa Clarita Residents Share First-Hand Experience Of Coronavirus Quarantine On Diamond Princess: Part Two

Part 3: Santa Clarita Residents Share First-Hand Experience Of Coronavirus Quarantine On Diamond Princess

Part 4: Trapped In The Coronavirus Quarantine Aboard The Diamond Princess: Part Four

Part 6: Santa Clarita Residents To Return To United States After Coronavirus Quarantine On Diamond Princess: Part Six

Part 7: Santa Clarita Resident Diagnosed With Coronavirus Sets Record Straight: Part 7

Part 8: Santa Clarita Resident Battles Coronavirus After Diamond Princess Cruise: Part 8

Part 9: Santa Clarita Resident Continues To Recover From Coronavirus Diagnosis: Part 9

Part 10: Living With Coronavirus: Santa Clarita Resident Continues To Share Story — Part 10

Part 11: A Birthday In Quarantine: Santa Clarita Resident Continues Chronicling Coronavirus Recovery – Part 11

Part 12: Coronavirus Quarantine Continues As Santa Clarita Resident Recovers From COVID-19: Part 12

Part 13: Coronavirus Patient From Santa Clarita Continues To Clear Misconceptions About COVID-19: Part 13

Part 14: Third Member Of The ‘Four Amigos’ Tests Positive For Coronavirus: Part 14

Part 15: Santa Clarita COVID-19 Patient Continues Recovery In Nebraska After Contracting Coronavirus: Part 15

Part 16: Carl Continues To Test Positive For Coronavirus, Jeri Still Negative: Part 16

Part 17: Carl Still Tests Positive For Coronavirus, Jeri Prepares To Return Home: Part 17

Part 18: Jeri Cleared From Quarantine, Carl Continues Coronavirus Recovery: Part 18

Part 19: Jeri Back Home, Carl Continues Coronavirus COVID-19 Recovery In Nebraska: Part 19

Part 20: Coronavirus COVID-19 Patient Carl Goldman Continues Path To Recovery: Part 20

Read All Of Carl’s Journals Here: Carl Goldman Coronavirus Journals


Sponsored Articles


Do you have a news tip? Call us at (661) 298-1220, or send an email to newstip@hometownstation.com. Don’t miss a thing. Get breaking KHTS Santa Clarita News Alerts delivered right to your inbox. Report a typo or error, email Corrections@hometownstation.com

KHTS FM 98.1 and AM 1220 is Santa Clarita’s only local radio station. KHTS mixes in a combination of news, traffic, sports, and features along with your favorite adult contemporary hits. Santa Clarita news and features are delivered throughout the day over our airwaves, on our website and through a variety of social media platforms. Our KHTS national award-winning daily news briefs are now read daily by 34,000+ residents. A vibrant member of the Santa Clarita community, the KHTS broadcast signal reaches all of the Santa Clarita Valley and parts of the high desert communities located in the Antelope Valley. The station streams its talk shows over the web, reaching a potentially worldwide audience. Follow @KHTSRadio on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

KHTS AM 1220 & FM 98.1 - Santa Clarita Radio - Santa Clarita News

Santa Clarita Residents Share Emotions As They Prepare To Leave Coronavirus Quarantine Cruise: Part Five

22 comments

  1. Sending prayers for good health and safe travels to you all.

  2. Sending many prayers ??????????

  3. Praying for all four of you! Please keep us all posted!! ????

  4. Thank you for your updates. I have many friends praying for you and all those on-board the ship.

  5. Praying for all!

  6. Very sad to hear this news . Praying for the safe return of all of you ! Lots of love

  7. I have been watching your live posts and heartbroken to hear about your friend. Please take care of yourselves. Praying you will all return home quickly and safely.

  8. Sending prayers to all.

  9. I’m so sorry about Jeri. Can you please tell me why and what means when you use the word “novel” in naming the disease. I’m a nurse and don’t recognize it as part of the name.
    I’m glad you are getting to come back to the states, but sorry you have to endure another 14 days of quarantine. You are all in my prayers. I’m in Lubbock, Tx, I hope you get to come to TX as our weather in San Antonio is relatively mild at this time of year. Good luck.

    • Novel = new. This is a new (not previously characterized) corona virus. It is a scientific phrasing, not Carl/Jeri’s phrasing.

      You can read more about the naming process here: https://www.statnews.com/2020/02/11/disease-caused-by-the-novel-coronavirus-has-name-covid-19/

      I’m wondering if Carl/Jeri will be allowed to fly back since they’ve been in close contact with Jerri watching movies and eating meals together. That seems risky.

      • Thanks so very much. I’m sorry about the post telling you to stay there and not come home. Come on back

        • Are you going to be sorry if our community starts getting sick?????

          • Bingo. This was a tough call, and I would have done what Carl and Jeri did, get out of Dodge.

            On the other hand, one wife was found to be sick, for days before she was taken to a hospital at the moment of a virus tell, a high fever.

            Now let me ask you, Carl is a U of Michigan grad, a man whose chosen work is to solve new problems. He finds himself living in very close quarters for hours each day with a person who is discovered as fully compromised. And Carl knows very well how the virus transfers, fomites and aerosols. Not one of those remaining 3 were legitimately uninfected. They may be asymptomatic, but they were exposed, with the husband within inches of the infected wife. Still, they went along to escape an unknown, and jeopardized everyone on the bus and in the plane because they could not but do so. Those masks were a joke. Only worn expertly and not moved once in place are they effective. The toilet was the place to transfer the virus… fomites and aerosols from the feces.

            I’ll bet to his dying day, Carl won’t own up to any of this. Neither would I.

  10. Praying for all four of you and your fellow passengers to have a safe return home.

    You all have tremendous fortitude during this extremely challenging time. I have appreciated hearing your first hand accounts of what you are dealing with and going through.
    I pray Jerri J. from Utah can heal quickly and return to her family. You are all remarkable people and this experience will enable you to help others.

    It is important to disregard any comments on the Facebook page from people that are antagonistic, every thread has them (have you ever read Nextdoor, even simple posts can be rudely responded to.)

    This virus has turned many lives upside down, especially for the people in Wuhan, many of them excellent individuals and supremely selfless.

    The important thing is we all keep our humanity and wits about us in these challenging times.

  11. I live in Santa Clarita and have been following your journey. I am very sorry about what is going on with your friend, will keep her and all in my prayers, may God help and keep you all safe and healthy.

  12. Prayers for safe travel and her swift recovery.

  13. Our thoughts and prayers are with all 4 of you, as with the others who are personally dealing with this crisis. We have appreciated your insightful (and amusing) commentary Carl, as it must take an incredible amount of resilience to remain calm in a situation such as yours.
    Your posts Carl also show a remarkable difference and need for journalists telling stories told as you have; instead of the sensational, opinionated and speculative broadcasting that dominate the airwaves these days. Carl and Jeri are incredible treasures for Santa Clarita, and we await your safe return to us! We pray also for a full recovery for Jerri, and a safe return home to Utah for both her and Mark. God speed!

  14. Sending the latest sick quarantined people to a hospital in the city of Fukushima? Unbelievable.

    Here’s a fair article from “Scientific American” which I found concerning the current radiation exposure risks in that city:

    https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/fukushima-residents-return-despite-radiation/

  15. You are all in my thoughts and prayers. I just read your updates and can’t even. Imagine what you are going through. I was supposed to be on a Southeast Asia cruise and fur you health issues, I had to cancel. Wishing you all health and a safe journey back to the US

  16. Carl & Jeri, so sorry for the circumstances that have interrupted your celebratory cruise. As one who has cruised many times, I can’t imagine being quarantined in my room. I have followed your story since day one, both on national news and online with the Signal. I desperately tried to find your cell phone numbers. I know I had them when we were on the Board of the Red Cross together. However, it is 2 or 3 phones later, and I no longer have them. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your friends. I hope the other Jerri gets better soon. Also hope you are soon back with your family and friends here in Santa Clarita. Darlene Swaim

  17. A 6-week-old baby died in the United States from COVID-19 and was the youngest victim of coronavirus in the world.
    “A 6-week-old newborn from the Hartford area in United State was brought unresponsive to a hospital late last week and had died from COVID-19 .” He was the youngest victim of coronavirus in the world.
    “It is a sadness that breaks my heart,” said the governor of the state of Connecticut. In Chicago, a 9-month-old boy had already died from COVID-19 earlier.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

About Carl Goldman

Carl Goldman, along with his wife, Jeri repurchased KHTS AM-1220, Santa Clarita’s hometown station on October 24, 2003. They owned it from 1990-1998, and then sold it to Clear Channel Communication in 1998, buying it back from Clear Channel in 2003. Since then, they have rebuilt KHTS as a critical voice of the Valley. In 2015 the radio station moved to its new headquarters on Main Street in Old Town Newhall, in the original Newhall Hardware building. In 2018 an FM was added, 98.1, with its signal being simulcast with AM-1220. In January 2020, Carl and Jeri cruised on the Diamond Princess. Carl was one of the first Americans to come down with Covid-19. Months earlier he was impacted by Guillain Barre Syndrome as a result of a Shingles vaccine in September 2019. He is still in recovery from the vaccine.