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U.S. NEWS Wednesday 4 March 2020

Peter Pan to continue Quarantined U.S. cruise ship

allowing immigration passengers released in Texas

checks on buses SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Doz-

ens of U.S. passengers who
BOSTON (AP) — Peter Pan frequent," given the com- were moved to a Texas air
Bus Lines, a major North- pany's routes are concen- base after potentially be-
east carrier, will continue to trated on transit between ing exposed to the coro-
allow federal immigration major Northeast cities in- navirus on a cruise ship
officials on its buses to con- cluding Boston, New York, were released Tuesday
duct routine checks for im- Philadelphia and Washing- and allowed to go home,
migrants living in the coun- ton. a day after local leaders
try illegally, saying it could Greyhound, the nation's declared a public health
help stem human traffick- largest bus company, said emergency and sought to
ing, the company said this last month it would stop al- delay the process so that
week. lowing Border Patrol agents more patient testing could
Peter Pan, based in Spring- to board its buses without a be done.
field, Massachusetts, "has warrant. New Hampshire- More than 120 passen-
always and will continue based Concord Coach gers who were moved two
to cooperate with law en- Lines, which connects com- weeks ago from a Diamond
forcement," Christopher munities in New Hampshire Princess cruise ship strand- A man in a white hat shakes hands with people at San Antonio
Crean, vice president of and Maine with Boston and ed in Japan and kept in International Airport Tuesday, March 3, 2020 as he gets off a bus
safety and security, said New York City, followed quarantine on Lackland that arrived from JBSA-Lackland.
Monday. suit Friday. The announce- Air Force Base in San An- Associated Press
Some of the bus line's rivals ments came after The As- tonio were released "in an
have revised or are review- sociated Press reported on orderly way to minimize po- day. Seven passengers kept waking up to each
ing their longstanding poli- a U.S. Customs and Border tential exposure to the San were kept in quarantine at and every day," she said.
cies. But Peter Pan remains Protection memo saying its Antonio community," ac- the air base for various rea- San Antonio Mayor Ron Ni-
concerned about the po- agents can't board private cording to a statement is- sons, Laura Mayes, a city renberg, who had said that
tential for child trafficking buses without the consent sued by city officials. Many spokeswoman, told The As- only passengers who were
on its buses, Crean said. of the bus company. were bused to San Antonio sociated Press. symptom-free for the entire
The company is a member Greyhound and other International Airport, where Terri Feil, of Houston, said 14-day quarantine period
of Truckers Against Traf- companies had previously they were escorted to tick- she and her husband, Da- would be released Tues-
ficking, an industry group insisted they had no choice et counters and through vid Feil, were among at day, issued a statement
formed to fight human traf- but to allow the immigra- security. Others who live in least four of the passengers saying he was "comfort-
ficking, as well as a similar tion checks even if they Texas were escorted to car who were released late able that the plan as pre-
regional effort by business- didn't like them. rental counters. Monday after officials from sented will minimize the risk
es in western Massachu- The American Civil Liberties The release was originally the Centers for Disease of exposure."
setts. Union has been calling on scheduled for Monday but Control and Prevention "The release will be coordi-
"It would be contradictory motorcoach companies to was delayed by a lawsuit said they were free to go. nated, not prolonged over
for us not to allow them on, allow Border Patrol agents filed by the city. San An- "We were jumping up and several days, and passen-
especially if it could result onto their buses only if they tonio officials had wanted down for joy," Feil said. gers will not stay in local ho-
in stopping a young child have a warrant, noting that additional assurances that The couple's son drove tels and will go directly to
from being trafficked," Cre- the agency has been step- none of the released pas- from Houston to pick them the airport," Nirenberg said.
an said. "I don't think we'll ping up enforcement be- sengers had t ested positive up. "We were not going to The patient who was re-
look at this issue any differ- yond the country's immedi- for the new coronavirus, af- give one person a chance leased over the weekend
ent now, whether it's Border ate borders in recent years. ter a woman was mistaken- to change their mind," Feil visited a local mall and
Patrol or other law enforce- "Peter Pan Bus Lines is in ly released from quarantine said. The Feils, who board- the airport before she was
ment." the business of transporting over the weekend despite ed the ship Jan. 6 for a 29- brought back into isolation
The company wasn't able its passengers safely from testing positive for it. day cruise, said they'd had once the positive test was
to provide an estimate for place to place," the civil A federal judge denied their temperatures taken discovered, city officials
how many times in recent rights group's New Hamp- the city's request for a tem- every day for weeks and said. There have not been
years immigration officials shire, Maine and Vermont porary restraining order, showed no symptoms. Be- any known cases of the ill-
have boarded the com- chapters said in a joint though, leading to the re- ing isolated from family ness being transmitted in
pany's buses. letter to the company in lease of 122 passengers and other passengers "was the community, Nirenberg
But Crean said it was "not 2018.q late Monday and on Tues- like a nightmare you just said.q