OAKLAND, Calif. — Thousands of passengers aboard a cruise ship struck by the novel coronavirus are waiting anxiously Tuesday for their chance to leave the vessel, even if means being shipped to military bases for weeks of quarantine.

After days of being forced to idle off the Northern California coast, the Grand Princess docked Monday in Oakland with some 3,500 passengers and crew aboard.

At least 21 people aboard the ship have tested positive for COVID-19. Nineteen of those who tested positive were crew members.

Several hundred were released from the ship, including some requiring hospital care and a group of Canadians who were flying home.

Some Californians were bused to nearby Travis Air Force Base. But about 2,000 people still await their chance to disembark. USA Today reports that Americans from other states will be taken to bases in Texas and Georgia.