Surrey couple from COVID-19 stricken cruise ship returning home after 30 days in quarantine

SURREY (NEW 1130) – It’s been a long road in quarantine for a couple from Surrey now freed from the confines of the Nav Centre in Cornwall, Ont.

Surrey’s Marichu Torrijos and her husband Ding were on board the Diamond Princess ship, which was the site of the largest outbreak of COVID-19 outside of China.

The couple was quarantined on the ship for two weeks, then moved to the Nav Centre.

Now after 30 days in quarantine, they will soon be home – feeling grateful.

“When we get home, there is a time for reflection and meditation, on the priorities of life, because, we now realize, life is so short,” said Marichu Torrijos.

She said she and her husband tried to enjoy every day at the Nav Centre, describing the experience for the two weeks they were stuck on the Diamond Princess cruise ship as harrowing.

She says being at the centre was a bit more bearable, and they’re grateful to the people who helped them.

The pair did not contract the virus and say they’ll continue to take precautions, such as frequently washing their hands and not touching their faces.

They plan to spend a couple of days in Montreal before returning home on Sunday.

When they get home, Marichu said the first thing she’d like to do is go to church and express gratitude for all the help they’ve received – from the people at the centre, the Canadian Red Cross, and in the community of Cornwall.

Marichu said she is also sad and praying for friends who they met along their journey who tested positive for COVID-19 and are still in isolation and undergoing treatment in Japan.