SAN ANTONIO — A Dallas-area couple spoke to KENS 5 about their experience being quarantined inside JBSA Lackland. They are among the new evacuees to arrive in the U.S. after being on a cruise ship off the coast of Japan.
Tyler and Rachel Torres took a trip on the Diamond Princess Cruise trip for their honeymoon. They were held for 14 days in quarantine on the ship before coming to San Antonio. They are among the new group of evacuees that arrived in San Antonio Monday morning. The couple said their setup at Lackland is more comfortable than it was on the ship, with a microwave, DVD player and coffee machine at their disposal.
“We actually have two rooms because they are joined by a bathroom, so we can run around in the other room,” Rachel said.
The total number of people quarantined at JBSA Lackland is 234. Officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention check their health twice a day. The Torres’ said the only other human interaction is when someone delivers food or packages.
They’ve kept a positive outlook on their journey, adding that, once they’re out, they hope to redo their honeymoon.
“We're going to go for a honeymoon 2.0 after this one. Princess offered us a free cruise up to the value of what we paid for on the last one," Torres said. "We haven't decided where we want to go yet, but that is what we want to do—hopefully, without any sort of virus this time."
“Tyler is always happy as long as he's fed,” Rachel added. “I have had little bit more of an emotional roller coaster. But he's been wonderful and we have a lot of people back at home who are praying for us.”