Family of man who died from COVID-19 sues Carnival, Princess cruise lines

The family of a man who died of the coronavirus is now suing the cruise line after he became infected with the illness.

Ronald Wong and his wife Eva Wong, were on board the Grand Princess on Feb. 21 when it left San Francisco. A month after the trip started, Ronald Wong died of COVID-19, USA Today reported.

His family said Carnival Cruise Line, the parent company of Princess Cruise Line which operated the ship, should have known a passenger on the cruise that sailed from Mexico and prior to the Wong’s trip. The 71-year-old passenger, who was not named, was the first coronavirus death in California.

The suit said 62 passengers from Mexico, as well as, 1,000 crew members, stayed on the ship on its way to Hawaii.

The Grand Princess returned to California on March 9 with passengers taken to military bases in California for a 14-day quarantine, USA Today reported.

Originally, the Wongs showed no symptoms of the coronavirus, but Ronald Wong developed a fever and cough and was taken to a hospital. Both he and his wife tested positive.

Ronald Wong died on March 24. Eva Wong recovered.

More than 130 passengers on the trip had tested positive for COVID-19 and five died.

The lawsuit states that both Princess and Carnival cruise lines knew passengers and crew members were infected with coronavirus and did nothing to stop the spread, KTVU reported.

The suit contends another ship owned by the companies, the Diamond Princess, was quarantined in Japan on Feb. 3 after two passengers died and others tested positive, KTVU reported.

The suit is asking for damages for medical costs.

There are about a dozen suits filed against the companies by either passengers or the family members, USA Today reported.